President Donald Trump loses again in bid to erase his hush money conviction

NEW YORK (AP) – A federal judge on Friday once again spurned Donald Trump's effort to erase his hush funds conviction, rejecting the president's bid to move the state court case to federal court and have it dismissed on presidential immunity grounds.

What happened

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein remarked Trump's reasons for renewing his request were "neither new nor legally sufficient, " particularly his claims that trial testimony by former aides and a lawyer, along with his Twitter statements, infringe on presidential immunity.

"They do not; paying hush money to an adult film star or engaging in a cover-up of an embarrassment are not subsumed in presidential immunity, " the judge remarked, referring to the $130, 000 payoff to adult film actor Stormy Daniels.

At one point, Hellerstein observed that Trump's lawyers thought it was his job to merely certify the record in the state trial court to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The bottom line

In short, president Donald Trump loses again in bid to erase his hush money is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.