Former President Donald Trump’s legal team has formally announced plans to appeal his recent felony conviction in New York. A jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records, a verdict that Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, has firmly contested. Blanche stated on NBC’s Today and Fox News that the trial was “unfair” and that they expect to succeed in the appeal.
The prosecution’s case, which unfolded over a seven-week period, presented evidence that led the jury to take just nine hours to arrive at the guilty verdict. Despite the conviction, Blanche emphasized that they plan to challenge the jury’s decision, contending that Trump’s notoriety and specific testimonies, such as that from Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, probably influenced the jury unfairly. Cohen, a key witness and former lawyer for Trump, has publicly criticized Blanche, calling him the “Stupidest Lawyer of All Time” on X.
Judge Juan Merchan has set a deadline of June 13 for filing any motions, and the sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 11. Trump’s political allies have denounced the trial, with Trump himself calling it a “rigged trial by a conflicted judge.” Trump’s conviction does not disqualify him from running in the 2024 presidential election, and he remains the leading candidate for the Republican nomination.
This conviction marks the first of four criminal cases against Trump, including federal and state charges related to election interference, and another federal case regarding his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
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