Manhattan Prosecutors Oppose Dismissing Trump's Criminal Case

This afternoon, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has filed an opposition to Donald Trump's request to immediately vacate the guilty verdicts against him and to dismiss the criminal case given the results of the November 5th election. Prosecutors had been considering whether to make this move for several weeks, and have officially decided to oppose any dismissal on several grounds. 

First, prosecutors argue that the Manhattan court should reject Trump's motion to immediately dismiss the case given the fact that he has not yet been sworn in and does not enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution while President-elect. 

The opposition goes on to highlight how even after he is sworn into office, the case should not be dismissed because the temporary immunity Trump will enjoy over the next four years does not justify wiping out the jury's verdict, especially as Trump's team does not dispute that the 34 felonies he was convicted of deal with purely unofficial conduct. 

Prosecutors note that "at most, [Trump] should receive temporary accommodations during his presidency to prevent this criminal case form meaningfully interfering with his official decision-making." 

Prosecutors listed several alternative remedies to a complete dismissal including a stay of proceedings during his term in office if judgment is not entered before January 20th. The decision will now ultimately be up to Justice Merchan who will decide whether or not to dismiss the criminal charges against Trump. 

It is unclear if he will do so. 

Read the full opposition here.