President Donald Trump on Monday night appealed his conviction in the case prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, arguing the verdict should be set aside due to improper charges, lack of evidence, presidential immunity, incorrect jury instructions, and judicial bias.
In a 96-page filing with a New York appeals court, Trump’s attorneys from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP called the case “the most politically charged prosecution in our Nation’s history” and asserted that it “should never have seen the inside of a courtroom.”
Key points of the appeal:
Political Nature: Attorneys allege the charges were manufactured under “immense political pressure” and involved a “convoluted legal theory” to improperly elevate time-barred misdemeanors to felonies, targeting alleged conduct never found to violate New York law.
Conviction Details: Trump was convicted in May 2024 on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a nondisclosure agreement payment. The prosecution argued the falsifications were done to conceal or commit another crime: violating an election law against conspiring to influence an election.
Judicial Concerns: The filing highlighted the trial judge, Juan Merchan, for having declined to toss the conviction based on presidential immunity and noted his $15 donation to the Biden campaign in 2020. The judge’s daughter’s firm, which has been paid by Democrats, was also noted.
Jury Instructions: The defense argued that the jury instructions did not require jurors to agree on the specific “unlawful” means used to influence the 2016 election, giving them three options.
Judge Merchan, who oversaw the trial, sentenced Trump to an “unconditional discharge” (without prison, fines).
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