NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump has officially filed an appeal regarding his conviction related to hush money payments, aiming to overturn the verdict that marked him as the first individual with a criminal record to be elected to the presidency.
On Wednesday, Trump’s attorneys submitted a notice of appeal to a mid-level appellate court in New York, challenging the conviction he received in May on 34 charges of falsifying business records.
This case centers on allegations that Trump orchestrated a scheme to conceal a payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during his 2016 Republican campaign. It is noteworthy that this particular case was the only one among Trump’s criminal charges that proceeded to trial.
The filing of the appeal initiates the legal process in New York, allowing Trump’s legal team to elaborate on their concerns in subsequent submissions to the court.
Meanwhile, the Manhattan district attorney’s office, which was responsible for prosecuting the case, will have the opportunity to present their response in court documents. Efforts to obtain a comment from the DA’s office were made on Wednesday.
To manage this appeal, Trump has engaged a new legal team from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, led by Robert J. Giuffra Jr., the firm’s co-chair.
Giuffra and four other lawyers from the firm took over after Trump appointed his former lead defense attorneys, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, to prominent roles in his administration’s Justice Department.
In a statement, Giuffra emphasized the significance of the appeal for the integrity of the rule of law, New York’s stature as a leading global business hub, and the implications for public officials in general. “The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent. We look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal,” he remarked.
On January 10, Trump received what is known as an unconditional discharge as part of his sentencing, meaning the conviction remains on record, but he avoided consequences such as jail time, probation, or fines.
Trump had consistently pledged to appeal the conviction but could not formally do so until after his sentencing.
Judge Juan M. Merchan, the trial judge, previously dismissed Trump’s claims suggesting that presidential immunity should nullify the conviction, as well as arguments referencing his potential return to the presidency.
During the sentencing hearing, which he attended via video, Trump described the case as a “political witch hunt” and criticized it as a “weaponization of government,” labeling it an “embarrassment to New York.”
Last May, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records associated with his extensive real estate business.
Although the specific counts pertained to misrecorded checks and ledgers, the broader allegations were heavily intertwined with Trump’s political ascension.
Prosecutors alleged that Trump disguised payments made to his former lawyer Michael Cohen as legal fees, masking their actual purpose: reimbursement for a $130,000 payment made to Daniels to secure her silence just before the 2016 election.
At that point, Daniels had been contemplating publicizing claims concerning a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which he has consistently denied.
Denying any illegal activity, Trump and his legal counsel contended that Kohn’s payments were accurately classified as legitimate legal expenses.
During his sentencing, Trump voiced his disbelief: “For this I got indicted; it’s incredible, actually.”
Furthermore, Trump’s attorneys argued that the intention behind managing claims like those from Daniels was to protect his family rather than his political campaign from what they called unfounded allegations.
It’s important to note that Trump lacks the ability to pardon himself in this matter, as the case was tried in state court, and presidential pardons are applicable only to federal offenses.
