Legal Battle Continues
The president's legal team intends to keep fighting to overturn the 2024 conviction. They aim to convince the New York appeals court to reject the May 2024 verdict. Trump was found guilty on all counts of falsifying business records. The scheme aimed to influence the 2016 election result by paying for silence. The felony conviction came after the jury found Trump altered records to hide a $130,000 payment to adult film actress and producer Stormy Daniels.
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Trump has repeatedly mentioned this case on social media since September. In early January 2025, while already the elected president for a second term, the judge issued an unconditional release. This means that although he remains a convicted felon, no prison sentence, fine, or other sanctions were imposed. Trump has always denied any wrongdoing and appealed to state and federal courts hoping to annul the ruling. He was not expected to attend Thursday's hearing.
The Hush Money Scheme
The case centered on the fee Daniels received from Michael Cohen, Trump's then „fixerand lawyer, weeks before the 2016 election. These funds bought her silence regarding an alleged sexual encounter with Trump from a decade ago. At that time, Trump was already married to Melania and had his youngest son, Barron. Trump maintains no sexual encounter took place. However, Trump's company reimbursed Cohen in 2017, recording these payments as legal expenses. Prosecutors argue the transactions aimed to keep unpleasant information away from voters, claiming he ”orchestrated a conspiracyviolating federal campaign finance laws.
Defense Arguments and Federal Appeals
Trump's attorneys counter that evidence he knew about Cohen's transactions at that time is „weak.”They also argue payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses meant only to avoid family embarrassment. The appeal focuses on complex legal disputes with intense political nuances. While pursuing the state court appeal, Trump also tried to move the case to federal court and get it dismissed based on immunity. This relied on the 2024 Supreme Court ruling granting broad presidential immunity. A federal judge refused, for the third time, in August to move the case. Trump's lawyers are appealing that decision, with arguments scheduled for November 16. The Associated Press contributed to this article.
