Judge Denies Former President Donald Trump’s Bid to Move Hush-Money Payments Case to Federal Venue

A federal judge has denied former President Donald Trump’s bid to move his hush-money payments case from New York state court to a federal venue. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled Wednesday that Trump had failed to show that the conduct charged by the indictment was related to any act performed by or for the President under color of the official acts of a President.

The ruling means the case will stay in Manhattan criminal court, where District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is prosecuting Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The case centers around payments made to a former Trump attorney, which are at the heart of the 34 New York State felony counts. Trump had argued that the payments were connected to his duties as president and that the case should therefore be heard in federal court.

Lawyers for Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had argued over the issue in court last month. In his ruling, Hellerstein wrote that he did not believe the payments were tied to Trump’s service as president.

The ruling is the latest development in the ongoing criminal case against Trump. The former president is facing multiple legal challenges in New York, including a separate criminal investigation into his business dealings. It is unclear how the ruling will affect the case going forward.