Trump appeals hush money criminal conviction

President Trump appealed his New York hush money criminal conviction and has brought on a new team of attorneys to represent him.

The five-attorney team from elite law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, which will be led by Robert Giuffra, submitted a notice of appeal dated Tuesday, formally beginning the appeals process in Trump’s 34-count felony conviction.

“President Donald J. Trump’s appeal is important for the rule of law, New York’s reputation as a global business, financial and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials,” Guiffra said in a statement.

“The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal,” he continued.

He will be joined by attorneys Matthew Schwartz, James McDonald, Jeffrey Wall and Morgan Ratner. They all are former Supreme Court clerks.

The team will replace Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, Trump’s mainstay trial attorneys who are now set to serve in the No. 2 and No. 3 top posts at the Justice Department, respectively, if confirmed by the Senate. Bove is serving as acting deputy attorney general in the meantime.

In May, a New York jury found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records for covering up a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016 as part of an intended conspiracy to unlawfully influence that year’s presidential election.

Trump successfully delayed his sentencing until after the election, and upon his political victory, New York Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the trial, sentenced Trump to no punishment.

But Trump’s felonies remain on his record, and his legal team has sought to dismiss the case entirely.

They will next bring their efforts to the Appellate Division, First Department. The court previously rejected Trump’s various pre-trial appeals, but his sentencing now enables the appeals bench to confront the historic case in normal course.

It remains unclear if the appeal will proceed while Trump is in the White House. Legal experts largely agree a sitting president is protected from criminal prosecution.

The Hill has reached out to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s (D) office for comment.

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