New York Governor States Trump Must Express Remorse Before Pardon Can Be Considered
“In the state of New York, there is a process for pardoning,” she mentioned during a press conference. “It is a lengthy procedure that involves several factors, including remorse.”
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York stated on Thursday that President-elect Donald Trump would have to demonstrate remorse if she were to contemplate pardoning him in relation to his criminal conviction concerning falsified business records.
This past Monday, Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan dismissed arguments from Trump’s legal team seeking to overturn the conviction, stating the prosecution’s evidence was not related to Trump’s official actions as president.
Moreover, the Supreme Court determined that prosecutors cannot utilize presidential actions to pursue cases addressing the personal conduct of a president.
Merchan stated that Trump did not adequately preserve objections regarding the evidence, and that the actions scrutinized in the case were unofficial acts, hence not covered by presidential immunity.
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“This Court … finds that the evidence related to the preserved claims are entirely regarding unofficial conduct and therefore do not receive immunity protections,” Merchan expressed in an order and letter to attorneys dated December 16.
In May, Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of felony charges for falsifying business records, marking him as one of the first U.S. presidents to be convicted of a crime—a verdict he and numerous Republicans have criticized as politically motivated.
The charges originated from allegations that Trump paid adult film star Stephanie Clifford, popularly known as Stormy Daniels, $130,000 in 2016 to prevent her from discussing an alleged sexual encounter claimed to have occurred approximately a decade before. Trump refutes both the payment and the alleged encounter.
Trump’s legal counsel referenced Senator John Fetterman (D-Penn.), who compared Trump’s case to that of Hunter Biden, suggesting that if President Biden can pardon his son, then Trump too deserves a pardon as both cases of prosecution were driven by political motives.
Hunter Biden faced nine counts of federal tax evasion amounting to $1.4 million from 2016 to 2019 and was charged with unlawfully acquiring a firearm while under the influence of drugs. He pleaded guilty to the tax charges in September after a prior plea deal collapsed.
Regarding Trump’s possible pardon, Hochul remarked, “I will not treat anyone preferentially or adversely when making such significant decisions.”
She emphasized that all individuals seeking pardons must adhere to the same procedure, “regardless of whether you are the president or anyone else.”
The Associated Press, Melanie Sun, and Sam Dorman contributed to this report.