Trump’s attorneys file appeal over 'hush money' felony conviction, push for case dismissal

On Monday (October 27), US President Donald Trump's legal team submitted their long-awaited appeal of the Manhattan criminal case that resulted in his felony conviction for falsifying business records. The lawyers restated arguments made by Trump and his defense team throughout his trial in spring 2024, insisting the case should never have been brought and urging the presiding judge’s recusal due to previous political donations to Democratic causes. They also cited a 2024 Supreme Court ruling regarding presidential immunity, arguing that it could potentially impact the New York case. This decision, though tied to another of Trump’s legal matters, was referenced as grounds for overturning the conviction. Many of these same claims were previously dismissed during the trial.

"This case should never have gone to trial, let alone led to a guilty verdict,” said Trump’s attorneys, led by Robert Giuffra Jr., in a detailed 96-page document. Trump’s appeal is one part of his broader strategy to reverse the felony conviction, which involves 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress. Prosecutors argued that Trump, through his lawyer Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence her allegations of an affair. The jury concluded that Trump authorized false documentation regarding reimbursements to Cohen for the payment.

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The trial, which spanned seven weeks in the spring, was a major distraction for Trump’s third presidential campaign, with much of his time spent in the courthouse instead of on the campaign trail. Throughout the proceedings, Trump and his team repeatedly claimed the case was politically motivated, accusing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of bringing the charges as a way to undermine his political standing. "The DA, a Democrat, pursued these charges during a highly charged presidential election, with Trump as the leading Republican contender," Trump’s lawyers said in the appeal. “This case was as unprecedented as it was politically motivated.”

The Manhattan DA’s office declined to comment on the appeal. Despite his conviction, Trump avoided jail time in January, but the felony charges still stand unless successfully overturned. Trump’s former lead attorney in the case, Todd Blanche, is now the Deputy US Attorney General. Another member of his trial team, Emil Bove III, was appointed by Trump to the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. A representative for Trump’s legal team described the appeal as a "powerhouse," adding that the former president would continue to fight against what they term “Democrat weaponisation”, focusing on his mission to “Make America Great Again.”