By Karen Freifeld and Luc Cohen
(Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Wednesday denied former U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid to move from New York state court to federal court the case against him stemming from a hush money payment to a porn star.
“Trump has failed to show that the conduct charged … is for or relating to any act performed by or for the President under color of the official acts of a President,” U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said in a written decision.
Hellerstein also said Trump failed to show he has a federal defense to the indictment.
Trump was indicted this spring on 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide reimbursements to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payment to silence porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. He has pleaded not guilty.
Justice Juan Merchan of New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan set a trial for March 2024, but Trump claimed the case belonged in federal court, arguing that his actions were related to the presidency.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she had a sexual encounter with Trump. He denies it.
(Reporting by Karen FreifeldEditing by Chris Reese and Leslie Adler)
