Mr. diGenova has claimed the Russia investigation was a law-enforcement plot to frame Mr. Trump and keep him out of the White House during his first presidential campaign.
Judge Darrin P. Gayles stated that Trump hadn't come close to meeting the 'actual malice' threshold necessary for public figures in defamation cases, emphasizing that the complaint did not meet the required standard.
Manhattan Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who reserved decision, appeared unswayed by Trump's position, saying he'd sought two bites at the apple by first trying in state court to get his conviction tossed on account of the Supreme Court's July 2024 decision on presidential immunity and, when that didn't work, refocusing efforts in federal court. The judge said the strategy led Trump to miss the 30-day window to raise the matter federally, without a good cause excuse.
It became obvious to me in that moment that this was no longer the department that I signed up to serve, Edwards said Tuesday at a panel hosted by the New York City Bar Association.