Trump begins appealing his hush-money conviction and sentence

• Trump on Wednesday began the process for a post-sentencing appeal of his hush-money case.
• His new lawyers filed a notice of appeal in the same Manhattan courthouse where he was sentenced.
• He is challenging both his May 30 conviction and his January 10 sentencing.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday began the potentially yearslong process of appealing his felony hush-money conviction.

His new criminal attorneys filed the appeal's opening salvo — a so-called notice of appeal — on the 12th floor of the same Manhattan courthouse where he was convicted in May and sentenced on January 10.

The two-page notice states simply that Trump is appealing his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and his no-jail sentence.

The notice includes, as an attachment, the transcript for the sentencing.

Trump's former criminal attorney, Todd Blanche, had said at sentencing that his client would be filing an appeal. Under New York law he had 30 days to do so.

Blanche is now Trump's pick for deputy attorney general. The appeal is being handled by the white-shoe Manhattan law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell.

The firm's cochair, Robert Giuffra, Jr., signed the appeal notice.

"President Donald J. Trump's appeal is important for the rule of law, New York's reputation as a global business, financial and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials," he said in a press statement. "The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal."

Trump's prior lawyers repeatedly tried to get the case tossed on presidential immunity grounds, and had signaled that this would be his strategy when the full appellate brief is filed in the coming months with the state's intermediary appellate court.

A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.