NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� A day after New York prosecutors said they will fight efforts to dismiss Donald Trump鈥檚 , the president-elect鈥檚 lawyers urged a judge to ignore them and dispose of the case before he takes office in January.
Echoing their arguments since Trump's win, his lawyers said in a letter Wednesday to Judge Juan M. Merchan that continuing with the case will interfere with Trump's preparations for returning to the White House and impede his ability to run the country.
The lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, said they will file paperwork formalizing their dismissal request and asked Merchan for a deadline of Dec. 20, after Special Counsel Jack Smith's team is expected to disclose the next steps it intends to take in two federal cases against Trump.
Blanche and Bove urged Merchan to heed the will of the voters who returned Trump to office rather than the word of prosecutors, who are often referred to in court proceedings and filings as representing the "People of the State of New York."
They warned of protracted appeals overlapping with Trump's second term if what they deemed a 鈥減olitically-motivated and fatally flawed鈥� case isn鈥檛 dispatched urgently.
鈥淥n November 5, 2024 the Nation鈥檚 People issued a mandate that supersedes the motivations of (the district attorney鈥檚) 鈥楶eople,鈥欌�� Blanche and Bove wrote. 鈥淭his case must immediately be dismissed.鈥�
Blanche and Bove for high-ranking Justice Department jobs.
Trump was of falsifying business records to cover up a scheme to influence the 2016 election by paying hush money to squelch a story of extramarital sex. Trump denies the allegations.
In a court filing Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney鈥檚 office said it opposes any effort to dismiss Trump鈥檚 case, but did express openness to potentially delaying his sentencing until after his second term.
D.A. Alvin Bragg鈥檚 office said in that Trump鈥檚 looming presidency isn鈥檛 grounds for dropping a case that was already decided by a jury.
But, citing 鈥渢he need to balance competing constitutional interests,鈥� prosecutors said 鈥渃onsideration must be given鈥� to pausing the case and delaying Trump's sentencing until after he鈥檚 out of office.
Prosecutors, in their filing, sought an even more accelerated schedule than the defense for hashing out the dismissal issue. They suggested the defense file its paperwork in the next week or two so they could submit their response by Dec. 9.
Merchan hasn't set a schedule, nor has he said when he will rule.
In the meantime, the case is effectively on hold. Trump's sentencing, which had been set for Nov. 26, will not go on as scheduled.
A dismissal would erase Trump鈥檚 conviction, the first of a former and now future U.S. president. If the verdict stands and the case proceeds to sentencing, Trump鈥檚 punishments would range from a fine or probation to up to four years in prison.
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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
Michael R. Sisak And Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press
