Judge says Trump discussing payoff to Stormy Daniels isn’t an official presidential action

Key Points:

• Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied President Donald Trump’s request to move his New York state criminal hush money case to federal court, ruling that the grounds cited were neither new nor legally sufficient.
• The case involves Trump’s 2024 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election, though he received no penalties due to an unconditional discharge sentence.
• Hellerstein emphasized that the prosecution concerns Trump’s private conduct and is unrelated to his federal office, rejecting claims that the case involves official acts protected by presidential immunity.
• Trump’s legal team immediately appealed the ruling, arguing that the Manhattan District Attorney’s case should be moved to federal court based on a recent Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity.
• The state appeal process is ongoing, with potential to reach New York’s Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court, while the federal court denied Trump’s motion partly due to strategic delays in filing.