Trump Takes Hush Money Case to Appeal Court

Former President Donald Trump is fighting back against his New York hush money conviction. His lawyers have filed an appeal, aiming to overturn his guilty verdict on 34 counts of falsifying business records. This case revolves around a payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The payment was intended to keep Daniels from publicly discussing an alleged affair. Trump's new legal team, from the firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, will handle the appeal. They argue that the conviction sets a dangerous precedent and should be dismissed. Trump was sentenced to an unconditional discharge, which means he avoids jail time but the conviction remains on his record. He had previously vowed to appeal but couldn't until after sentencing. The trial judge rejected Trump's requests to dismiss the case based on presidential immunity. Trump sees the case as a political witch hunt, accusing the Manhattan district attorney of misusing the criminal law to target him. Prosecutors claim that Trump mislabeled payments to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to hide the true purpose: reimbursing Cohen for the $130, 000 paid to Daniels. Trump denies any wrongdoing, asserting that the payments were legitimate legal expenses. He also maintains that his motive was to protect his family, not his campaign.