Trump Launches Appeal Against Conviction in 'Hush Money' Affair

Attorneys representing former President Donald Trump have formally initiated an appeal against his Manhattan criminal conviction tied to alleged 'hush money' payments.

Trump's legal representatives reiterated several points they, along with Trump's defense team, persisted with during court proceedings in early 2024. They claim the charges should never have been presented, the presiding judge should have recused himself due to previous minor political donations to Democratic causes, and assert that a Supreme Court decision from July 2024, though related to a different case involving Trump, has relevance for the appeal in this case. These assertions had previously been dismissed at the Manhattan trial.

In their substantial 96-page document, the legal team, spearheaded by Robert Giuffra Jr., contended that the case ought never to have reached trial, much less resulted in a guilty verdict.

This legal move is one of multiple strategies employed by Trump to attempt to overturn his conviction on numerous charges of business record falsification. Additionally, he's seeking to have his case moved from a state court to a federal one through an appeal.

Central to the case were allegations that Trump sought to mask payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecution team argued that Trump authorized a payment of $130,000 through his then-attorney, Michael Cohen, to prevent Daniels from publicizing claims of a past sexual liaison, during the closing phase of the 2016 election campaign. A jury found that Trump was involved in falsifying documentation related to Cohen's reimbursements.

The trial lasted for seven weeks, markedly impacting Trump's third presidential campaign, which played out within the courthouse corridors. Trump's attorneys frequently accused Bragg of pursuing the charges for political advantage.

“Launching charges in the heat of a fractious presidential campaign when Trump was the frontrunner for the Republican nomination was an unprecedented political maneuver,” asserted Trump’s legal counsel.

The district attorney's office opted not to comment on Trump’s appeal.

Despite receiving a sentence that spared him jail time shortly before reassuming the presidency in January, Trump's felony conviction remains unless overturned on appeal.

Trump’s principal trial lawyer, Todd Blanche, currently serves as the deputy U.S. attorney general. Meanwhile, Emil Bove III, another member from his legal squad, was subsequently appointed as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team projected confidence about the strength of the appeal, describing it as formidable.

“Trump remains steadfast in countering Democrat strategies at every juncture as he focuses singularly on reinstating American greatness,” stated the legal team’s spokesperson.