Former US President Donald Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, announced that the defense team will appeal “as soon as possible” the conviction in the case of falsifying accounting records.
Blanche explained to CNN that in New York, procedures require the sentence to be pronounced first before filing an appeal.
The judge set the date for pronouncing the sentence on July 11, and Trump was released without bail pending that. Despite his conviction, Trump can continue his election campaign to return to the White House, as the US Constitution does not prevent people with previous convictions from running for the presidency.
Trump faces a sentence of up to 4 years in prison, but it can be reduced if he does not have a criminal record. Penalties may include suspended imprisonment or community service, in addition to a fine.
Trump will have a month to notify the judiciary of his intention to appeal, and then months to do so officially, and appealing the ruling is likely to freeze the effects of all penalties, including imprisonment with effect.
Commenting on the court’s decision, Trump told reporters on Thursday: “This was shameful,” accusing the judge hearing his case of corruption and bias.
Trump added: “We will continue the fight until the end. I am a completely innocent person, and I am fighting for our country and our constitution.”
It is noteworthy that the New York jury decided to convict Trump of all 34 charges in the case in which Trump is accused of financial violations related to his payment of $130,000 of his campaign funds to former pornographic actress Stephanie Clifford, known by her pseudonym “Stormy Daniels,” in exchange for her silence about her relationship with him.
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