US President Donald Trump has appealed against his hush money conviction, seeking to erase the verdict that made him the first person with a criminal record to win the office.
Mr Trump’s lawyers filed a notice of appeal on Wednesday, asking New York’s mid-level appeals court to overturn his conviction last May on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The case, involving an alleged scheme to hide a hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels during Mr Trump’s 2016 Republican campaign, was the only one of his criminal cases to go to trial.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which prosecuted the case, will have a chance to respond in court papers. A message seeking comment was left with the office on Wednesday.
Mr Trump hired a new legal team from the firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP to handle the appeal, spearheaded by the firm’s co-chairman Robert J Giuffra Jr.
Mr Giuffra and four other lawyers from his firm stepped in after the president picked his two main defence lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, for top positions in his administration’s Justice Department.
“President Donald J Trump’s appeal is important for the rule of law, New York’s reputation as a global business, financial and legal centre, as well as for the presidency and all public officials,” Mr Giuffra said in a statement provided by a Trump spokesperson.
