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President Donald Trump’s lawyers requested a federal court to intervene in his New York hush-money case.
The Thursday filing hopes to push back Trump’s sentencing slated for next month as he seeks to overturn the conviction against him.
“The ongoing proceedings will continue to cause direct and irreparable harm to President Trump — the leading candidate in the 2024 Presidential election — and voters located far beyond Manhattan,” Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote in the U.S. District Court filing.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that the case is politically motivated, pressing for a federal court free from local bias.
“Immediate access to such a forum is imperative and of the utmost urgency,” Trump’s attorneys added in the filing. “Federal institutional interests associated with the Presidency, Congressional and FEC regulation of federal elections, and the integrity of the upcoming 2024 Presidential election are at stake.”
Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to alleged hush-money payments ahead of his 2016 presidential run. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The latest filing’s outcome is uncertain though the added litigation could push back the sentencing date until after the Nov. 5 election.
The move also comes after House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, issued a subpoena for information on political work by the daughter of the New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan.
Jordan sent a letter to Michael Nellis, the founder and CEO of Authentic Campaigns, accusing him of failure to comply with the committee’s demands. The company has served Democratic clients including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Popularly elected prosecutors, such as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, have engaged in an unprecedented abuse of authority by prosecuting a former President of the United States and current nominee for that office,” Jordan wrote. “Of relevance to the Committee’s oversight is the impartiality of Judge Juan Merchan, the presiding trial judge, due to his refusal to recuse himself from the case in light of his apparent conflicts of interest and biases.”
Jordan added, “One such conflict is Ms. Merchan’s — daughter of Judge Merchan and President of Authentic Campaigns — work on behalf of President Trump’s political adversaries and the possible financial benefit that Ms. Merchan and Authentic Campaigns received from the prosecution and conviction of President Trump.”