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Trump Hires New Lawyers To Appeal His Hush Money Conviction

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NEW YORK — President Donald Trump has hired the elite white-shoe law firm Sullivan & Cromwell to appeal his criminal conviction in the Manhattan hush money case.

The most prominent member of Trump’s new legal team is Robert Giuffra, the firm’s co-chair. Four other Sullivan & Cromwell attorneys, all of whom are former Supreme Court clerks, will also work on the case, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. Those attorneys are James McDonald, Morgan Ratner, Jeff Wall and Matthew Schwartz.

“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,” Giuffra said in a 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.”

During the presidential transition, Giuffra was under consideration to be Trump’s pick for attorney general and was said to have had the backing of Boris Epshteyn, an influential Trump legal adviser.

In the hush money case, Giuffra and his firm’s other lawyers will replace Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who represented Trump during the trial last spring. Blanche is Trump’s nominee to become deputy attorney general, and Bove has already joined the Trump Justice Department as acting deputy attorney general. Once Blanche is confirmed, Bove will step into the No. 3 spot in the department.

The decision to represent Trump by Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the most prominent firms in the country, represents a departure from the legal community’s attitude toward him in recent years. When Trump hired Blanche to represent him in the spring of 2023, Blanche had to quit the elite firm where he was a partner, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.

In his resignation email at the time, Blanche said he was unable to take Trump as a client while remaining at the firm. “Obviously, doing this as a partner at Cadwalader was not an option,” he wrote, “so I have had to make the difficult choice to leave the firm.”

Giuffra has worked as a litigator representing companies like Volkswagen AG and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. He also has held a handful of New York state government-appointed positions, including on several ethics boards.

Last spring, Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of concealing a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He was sentenced to “unconditional discharge,” a sentence that carries no punishment, earlier this month, shortly before he took office.

Trump is expected to file the appeal of his conviction in the coming days.


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