The News
US President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally filed a motion to dismiss his New York criminal conviction, arguing that the jury’s guilty verdict presents “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.”
In the court filing, Trump’s attorneys cited outgoing-President Joe Biden’s controversial decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden. While the younger Biden was prosecuted in federal court, and Trump was convicted in state court, Trump’s defense noted the president’s assertion that Hunter was “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” as evidence the US justice system has been politicized.
New York prosecutors have until Dec. 9 to respond, having previously said they would fight any motion for outright dismissal. Instead, prosecutors had suggested willingness to delay Trump’s sentencing at least until after his term ends in 2029.
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In May Trump became the first former US president to be found guilty by a jury of a federal crime. New York prosecutors successfully argued he had falsified business records in an effort to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, which Trump won.