前总统唐纳德·特朗普再次要求上诉法院将他的纽约刑事封口费案联邦法院，重燃努力拖延他的判决或推翻他的定罪在34重罪法庭。
在周一晚间的一份文件中，特朗普的律师要求位于纽约的美国第二巡回上诉法院重新考虑一家下级法院9月份的决定，该决定否认前总统试图将该州案件移交给联邦法院。
辩护律师在文件中辩称，该案中的陪审团不恰当地看到了特朗普作为总统的官方行为的证据，这些证据本应受到保护最高法院7月的裁决总统豁免权。
律师托德·布兰奇(Todd Blanche)和埃米尔·博韦(Emil Bove)在一份99页的文件中写道:“这个案件提出了复杂的第一印象问题，涉及至高无上条款、联邦官员的免职、与2024年总统选举中领先候选人前所未有的毫无根据的起诉有关的不当行为和冲突，以及未来总统为美国人民服务而不必担心敌对地方官员报复的能力。”。
特朗普是被判有罪今年5月，他因伪造商业记录的34项重罪被起诉，这些记录与封口费向成人电影女演员斯托米·丹尼尔斯支付的款项有关，以提高他在2016年总统大选中的选举前景。
7月，最高法院裁定重大决定特朗普有权对在职期间的官方行为免于刑事起诉。
针对联邦官员的刑事或民事案件可以移交给联邦法院，如果官员能够证明案件的核心是官方行为的话。当川普试图在2023年将他的封口费案件转移到联邦法院时，他辩称这些指控与他作为总统的官方行为有关，美国地区法官阿尔文·赫勒斯坦否认此举，写道“封口费付钱给一个成人电影明星与总统的官方行为无关。”
海勒斯坦法官随后拒绝了特朗普9月份重新考虑其决定的请求，因为特朗普正在寻求推迟对他的判决，因为这位前总统未能就为什么应该再次审查这个问题提出“充分的理由”。
“最高法院的意见丝毫没有影响我之前的结论，即封口费的付款是私人的、非官方的行为，超出了行政权力的范围，”海勒斯坦法官写道。
特朗普现在正在上诉赫勒斯坦9月的决定，辩护律师认为该决定依赖于“有严重缺陷的分析”。
特朗普定于11月26日被判刑，此前负责此案的纽约法官胡安·马科姆，批准了特朗普的请求将判决推迟到11月大选之后。
在周一提交的文件中，特朗普的律师还表达了对法官Merchan涉嫌利益冲突和检察官政治动机的不满，写道，证人“编造了特朗普总统的政治对手想要听到的虚假和不可信的故事。”
如果将案件移交给联邦法院的努力成功，特朗普可能会在11月当选总统的情况下，获得扼杀起诉的权力。不像他的联邦刑事案件如果案件仍在州法院，特朗普无法指导起诉或赦免自己。
如果该动议在11月26日之前仍未得到解决，免职尝试还可能影响特朗普11月26日的判决时间。
另外，预计法官Merchan将在11月12日之前就特朗普基于总统豁免权推翻定罪的努力做出裁决。
Trump again asks appeals court to move New York hush money case to federal court
Former President Donald Trump has again asked an appeals court to transfer his New Yorkcriminal hush money caseto federal court, reigniting an effort to stall his sentencing or throw out his conviction on 34 felony courts.
In a filing on late Monday, Trump's lawyers asked the New York-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to reconsider a lower court's September decision denying the former president's attempt to remove the state case to federal court.
Defense lawyers argued in the filing that the jury in the case improperly saw evidence of Trump's official acts as president which would have been protected by theSupreme Court's July rulingon presidential immunity.
"This case presents complex first-impression issues relating to the Supremacy Clause, federal-officer removal, appearances of impropriety and conflicts in connection with an unprecedented and baseless prosecution of the leading candidate in the 2024 Presidential election, and the ability of future Presidents to serve the American people without fear of reprisal from hostile local officials," lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote in the 99-page filing.
Trump wasfound guiltyin May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
In July, the Supreme Court ruled in ablockbuster decisionthat Trump is entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts undertaken while in office.
Criminal or civil cases against federal officials can be removed to federal court if the officials can prove the case centers on official conduct. When Trump sought to remove his hush money case to federal court in 2023 by arguing that the allegations related to his official acts as president, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellersteindenied the move, writing that "hush money paid to an adult film star is not related to a President's official acts."
Judge Hellerstein then denied Trump's request to reconsider his decision in September, as Trump was seeking to delay his sentencing, because the former president failed to show "good cause" for why the issue should be examined again.
"Nothing in the Supreme Court's opinion affects my previous conclusion that the hush money payments were private, unofficial acts, outside the bounds of executive authority," Judge Hellerstein wrote.
Trump is now appealing Hellerstein's September decision, which defense lawyers argue relied on a "profoundly flawed analysis."
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 26, after the New York judge overseeing the case, Juan Merchan,granted Trump's requestto delay sentencing until after the November election.
In their filing Monday, Trump's lawyers also aired grievances about an alleged conflict of interest by Judge Merchan and political motivations of the prosecutors, writing that witnesses "concocted the type of false and implausible story President Trump's political opponents wanted to hear."
If the effort to remove the case to federal court is successful, it could give Trump the authority to kill the prosecution if he is elected to the presidency in November. Unlike hisfederal criminal cases, Trump is unable to direct the prosecution or pardon himself if the case remains in state court.
The removal attempt could also impact the timing of Trump's Nov. 26 sentencing if the motion remains unresolved by then.
Separately, Judge Merchan is expected to issue a ruling on Trump's effort to throw out the conviction based on presidential immunity by Nov. 12.
