CBS News
Trump seeks delay of New York “hush money” trial as Supreme Court weighs presidential immunity
Just two weeks before his first criminal trial is scheduled to begin in New York, former President Donald Trump has once again sought to push back its start.
In a motion filed March 7 and made public Monday, Trump’s attorneys asked Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan to delay the trial, which is currently set for March 25, until after the Supreme Court rules on whether Trump is shielded from criminal prosecution by “presidential immunity” in another one of his criminal cases. Lower federal courts found that no such immunity exists, and Trump asked the Supreme Court to review those rulings last month. The justices agreed, and arguments are scheduled for April 25.
“The adjournment is warranted to ensure proper adjudication of the presidential immunity defense and to prevent improper evidence of official acts from being used in the unprecedented fashion apparently contemplated by the People,” wrote Trump’s attorneys. They pointed to filings by the state indicating that prosecutors planned to enter several pieces of evidence from 2018, when Trump was in the White House.
The New York case stems from a “hush money” payment made by an attorney for Trump to adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, in the days before the 2016 election. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records tied to payments reimbursing the attorney, Michael Cohen, in 2017. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies all wrongdoing.
Trump previously sought to have the state case moved to federal court in 2023. A federal judge rejected that effort, writing that he didn’t believe the reimbursements were tied to Trump’s service as president.
“Reimbursing Cohen for advancing hush money to Stephanie Clifford cannot be considered the performance of a constitutional duty,” wrote U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. “Falsifying business records to hide such reimbursement, and to transform the reimbursement into a business expense for Trump and income to Cohen, likewise does not relate to a presidential duty.”
Hellerstein also wrote that Trump “has expressly waived any argument premised on a theory of absolute presidential immunity.”
Trump had argued that his payments were “official acts,” an argument repeated in his latest filing.
“There are several types of evidence that implicate the concept of official acts for purposes of presidential immunity, and therefore must be precluded,” his attorneys wrote.
A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to comment.
At a June 2023 hearing before Hellerstein, an attorney for Bragg argued the reimbursements to Cohen represented “personal payments to a personal lawyer” for Trump.
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CBS News
Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
