Judge rules Stormy Daniels cover-up can NEVER be an official act as Trump loses third bid to erase conviction

A federal judge has blocked Trump's third attempt to shift his hush money conviction to federal court, ruling that paying Stormy Daniels $130,000 to conceal an alleged affair is personal conduct, not a presidential act. Judge Alvin Hellerstein dismissed Trump's latest legal arguments as "neither new nor legally sufficient" and said he had "failed to show good cause and diligence." Trump's team immediately vowed a "powerful appeal," calling the ruling "baseless and lawless."

Hellerstein wrote bluntly: 'There is no way discussions regarding hush money payments to cover up relations with Stormy Daniels could be an official act.'

Trump had hoped the Supreme Court's 2024 presidential immunity ruling would compel dismissal of the conviction, but the judge found it does not apply.

Trump's guilty verdict on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records remains intact, leaving him the first sitting US president to hold a criminal conviction.