By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JENNIFER PELTZ NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urged a judge again Friday to throw out his hush money conviction, balking at the prosecution’s suggestion of preserving the verdict by treating the case the way some courts do when a defendant dies. They called the idea “absurd.” Related Articles National Politics | Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time National Politics | Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies National Politics | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list National Politics | Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she ‘sustained an injury’ on official trip to Luxembourg National Politics | Veteran Daniel Penny, acquitted in NYC subway chokehold, will join Trump’s suite at football game The Manhattan district attorney’s office is asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to “pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a blistering 23-page response. In court papers made public Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books after Trump’s lawyers filed paperwork earlier this month asking for the case to be dismissed. They include freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029, agreeing that any future sentence won’t include jail time, or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn’t sentenced and his appeal wasn’t resolved because of presidential immunity. Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove reiterated Friday their position that the only acceptable option is overturning his conviction and dismissing his indictment, writing that anything less will interfere with the transition process and his ability to lead the country. The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined comment. It’s unclear how soon Merchan will decide. He could grant Trump’s request for dismissal, go with one of the prosecution’s suggestions, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. In their response Friday, Blanche and Bove ripped each of the prosecution’s suggestions. Halting the case until Trump leaves office would force the incoming president to govern while facing the “ongoing threat” that he’ll be sentenced to imprisonment, fines or other punishment as soon as his term ends, Blanche and Bove wrote. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. “To be clear, President Trump will never deviate from the public interest in response to these thuggish tactics,” the defense lawyers wrote. “However, the threat itself is unconstitutional.” The prosecution’s suggestion that Merchan could mitigate those concerns by promising not to sentence Trump to jail time on presidential immunity grounds is also a non-starter, Blanche and Bove wrote. The immunity statute requires dropping the case, not merely limiting sentencing options, they argued. Blanche and Bove, both of whom Trump has tabbed for high-ranking Justice Department positions, expressed outrage at the prosecution’s novel suggestion that Merchan borrow from Alabama and other states and treat the case as if Trump had died. Blanche and Bove accused prosecutors of ignoring New York precedent and attempting to “fabricate” a solution “based on an extremely troubling and irresponsible analogy between President Trump” who survived assassination attempts in Pennsylvania in July and Florida in September “and a hypothetical dead defendant.” Such an option normally comes into play when a defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether it is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Merchan could innovate in what’s already a unique case. “This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding,” prosecutors wrote in their filing this week. But at the same time, it wouldn’t “precipitously discard” the “meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers.” Prosecutors acknowledged that “presidential immunity requires accommodation” during Trump’s impending return to the White House but argued that his election to a second term should not upend the jury’s verdict, which came when he was out of office. Longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution . Other world leaders don’t enjoy the same protection. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges even as he leads that nation’s wars in Lebanon and Gaza . Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his May 30 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records . Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier, which Trump denies. In their filing Friday, Trump’s lawyers citing a social media post in which Sen. John Fetterman used profane language to criticize Trump’s hush money prosecution. The Pennsylvania Democrat suggested that Trump deserved a pardon, comparing his case to that of President Joe Biden’s pardoned son Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges . “Weaponizing the judiciary for blatant, partisan gain diminishes the collective faith in our institutions and sows further division,” Fetterman wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. Trump’s hush money conviction was in state court, meaning a presidential pardon — issued by Biden or himself when he takes office — would not apply to the case. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith has ended his two federal cases , which pertained to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in all. Trump had been scheduled for sentencing in the hush money case in late November. But following Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president’s sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Merchan also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. A dismissal would erase Trump’s conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office.
Player of the game Illinois’ pass catchers finished Saturday’s game against Rutgers with 132 yards after the catch. Bryant was responsible for 131 of them, including 22 on his 40-yard touchdown pass from Luke Altmyer that proved to be the winner against the Scarlet Knights. Bryant has been the guy for the Illini every time they’ve needed a big play this season. The Jacksonville, Fla., native finished the game with seven catches (of Illinois’ 12) for 197 yards (of Illinois’ 249). It was his fourth 100-yard game of the season, and 197 puts him seventh all-time in program history for a single-game performance. Offense The Illini’s fourth-quarter effort turned around what had been a fairly flat performance the rest of the game. More than half of the Illini’s 431 yards of total offense 23 of their 38 points came in the final 15 minutes Saturday in New Jersey. Better late than never, right? Faced with a true need to score, Luke Altmyer and Co. came through in another 2-minute drill situation. They had to. Rutgers was just as effective behind Athan Kaliakmanis. Defense Illinois struggled to get off the field in the first half, as Rutgers pieced together three scoring drives with double-digit plays, including a 16-play, 75-yard drive that gave the Scarlet Knights a 17-9 halftime lead. The Illini were better in the second half. Fewer drawn-out drives and a takeaway the offense then turned into a Josh McCray touchdown. Special teams David Olano’s missed extra point was the result of an off-kilter snap. Not great to miss a chip shot, but the entire operation was thrown off. Most of the rest of Illinois’ special teams play was on point. That included a 59-yard punt return by Hank Beatty that the Rochester native nearly turned into his first touchdown of the season. (It came later on a touchdown reception). Rutgers was more consistent punting the ball, though, and had its own big kick return. Coaching Icing the kicker is basically an automatic move for most coaches. It makes sense. Take the kicker out of his routine, and the result might turn in your favor. Icing Ethan Moczulski on a 57-yard attempt with serious winds blowing through SHI Stadium, though? That was a scenario where Rutgers coach Greg Schiano might have been better off just letting it ride. Because Moczulski was seriously short on his attempt. Overall Part of Bret Bielema’s postgame press conference included the phrase “we tried to give that one away” from the Illinois coach. A combination of those long Rutgers drives and certainly the 11 Illini penalties that gifted the Scarlet Knights 93 free yards. Not ideal. But Illinois still got the win. A 38-31 victory that pushed the Illini to 8-3 on the season with the chance to make this the best year for the program since the 2007 squad went to the Rose Bowl. That’s progress.World reaches $300 bn climate finance deal at COP29Title: Serie A Matchday 15 Best XI: De Gea, Di Maria, Mhkitaryan, and Cancelo Featured
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