Former President Donald Trump has filed an appeal against his conviction for hush money payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign.
President Donald Trump has appealed his hush money conviction, aiming to overturn the verdict that made him the first person with a criminal record to hold the office of the presidency. Trump's legal team filed a notice of appeal on Wednesday, requesting the state's mid-level appeals court to reverse his conviction from May on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The case, centering around an alleged scheme to conceal a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during Trump's 2016 Republican presidential campaign, was the only one of his criminal cases to proceed to trial. A notice of appeal initiates the appeals process in New York. Trump's lawyers will have further opportunities to elaborate on their objections in subsequent court filings. The Manhattan district attorney's office, responsible for prosecuting the case, will have the chance to respond through formal court documents. Trump has engaged a new legal team from the firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP to manage the appeal, led by the firm's co-chair Robert J. Giuffra Jr. Giuffra and four other lawyers from his firm have taken over after Trump appointed his two primary defense attorneys, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, to prominent roles within his administration's Justice Department. 'President Donald J. Trump's appeal is crucial for the rule of law, New York's standing as a global business, financial, and legal hub, as well as for the presidency and all public officials,' Giuffra stated in a release provided by a Trump spokesperson. 'The misuse of criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we anticipate the case being dismissed on appeal.' Trump received an unconditional discharge on January 10th, meaning his conviction remains on record but he avoids jail time, probation, fines, or other penalties. The former president had consistently vowed to appeal but couldn't initiate the process until after his sentencing. The trial judge, Juan M. Merchan, had previously denied Trump's requests to dismiss the conviction based on claims of presidential immunity or due to his potential return to the White House. During his sentencing appearance via video, Trump condemned the case as a 'political witch hunt,' a 'weaponization of government,' and 'an embarrassment to New York.' A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty last May of falsifying business records maintained within the opulent setting of his namesake real estate empire. While the specific charges revolved around checks and ledgers, the underlying accusations involved salacious details deeply intertwined with Trump's political ascent. Prosecutors alleged that Trump misrepresented payments to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen as legal fees to conceal their true nature: reimbursement for the $130,000 Cohen paid Daniels to remain silent in the final months of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. At the time, Daniels was contemplating going public with an assertion that she and the married Trump had engaged in a sexual encounter in 2006. Trump denies any such encounter ever took place. Trump maintained his innocence, asserting that the payments to Cohen were appropriately categorized as legal expenses. 'For this I got indicted,' Trump stated at his sentencing. 'It's incredible, actually.' Trump's legal team further argued that Trump's motive for silencing claims like Daniels' was to protect his family, not his campaign, from what he claims were falsehoods. Trump cannot grant himself a pardon. Trump's case was tried in state court, but presidential pardons only apply to federal offenses.
DONALD TRUMP HUSH MONEY APPEAL CONVICTION STORMY DANIELS MICHAEL COHEN MANHATTAN DA NEW YORK RULE OF LAW PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY
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