Trump's criminal appeal: All Rise News special coverage
Top legal experts Andrew Weissmann and Norm Eisen help us unpack Trump's efforts to scuttle his 34 felony convictions, a year after we covered the trial in court.
Trump is using every legal tool at his disposal to erase his 34 felony convictions and rewrite the history of his criminal case. Stay informed, and support truthful reporting!
A little more than a year ago, Donald Trump spent every day for six weeks inside a Manhattan criminal courtroom, often falling asleep, and ultimately watching a jury convict him of 34 felonies about his conspiracy to cover up a scandal before the 2016 presidential election.
Now, Trump is in the White House, and he is using the full weight of the federal government to undo that blot on his record for his upcoming appeal on Wednesday morning.
Trump’s then-criminal defense attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove now hold top leadership positions in the Justice Department, which is now backing his attempt to move his New York criminal case to federal court. The Second Circuit has scheduled that hearing for Weds., June 11 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.
You can listen to those proceedings here.
If you have any questions about those arguments, All Rise News has you covered: I’ll host a live Q&A for paid subscribers that day at 11:30 a.m.
Then, I’ll have back-to-back Substack Lives with Andrew Weissman, who was my frequent co-panelist for Trump trial coverage on MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,” and Norm Eisen, my former editor at Just Security’s “Trump Trials Clearinghouse.” You can find information about how to connect toward the bottom of this email.
Why this appeal matters
Trump’s intense and drawn out efforts to shake off his 34 felony convictions speak to why this appeal remains important, even though its effect is mostly symbolic.
Consider: Earlier this year, Trump’s legal team dumped hundreds of pages of legal arguments in four courts in a failed effort to prevent a sentencing where he knew he wouldn’t face any real penalty.
Then and now, Trump is trying to erase the stain of a unanimous jury finding that engaged in an elaborate fraud to mislead the voting public before the 2016 presidential election. Trial evidence showed that the men whom prosecutors described as Trump’s “co-conspirators” believed that they were acting illegally.
Beyond the Stormy Daniels hush-money scandal, prosecutors showed jurors the secret history of that election with an agreement between Trump and the tabloid empire American Media Inc. (AMI) to suppress negative stories and attack his rivals. AMI’s top executive David Pecker agreed during testimony that the company admitted to a campaign violation, and The National Enquirer’s then-top editor Dylan Howard sent a bleak text message to a relative that Trump would pardon him for “electoral fraud.”
When Trump won that election, Daniels’ then-lawyer Keith Davidson sent a text message: “What have we done?”
Following the verdict on May 30, 2024, Trump’s efforts to overturn his convictions have been relentless, and he does not care how it is removed. Wednesday’s appeal does not go to the merits of the case, only Trump’s efforts to move the case to federal court to boost his presidential immunity claims.
Post-hearing coverage
The Second Circuit hearing begins on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, before a three-judge panel. Expect the proceedings to be brief: Each side will have 10 minutes to present their arguments.
In case of unexpected delays, my Q&A for paid subscribers begins at 11:30 a.m. ET. Feel free to reach out with any questions before that time.
Here’s our schedule after that hearing:
Andrew Weissmann at 1 p.m. ET: During Trump’s criminal trial, Andrew and I sat at Lawrence O’Donnell’s roundtable every night on MSNBC to discuss the day’s proceedings. Now, we’ll catch up on the first big appellate proceedings in the criminal case of Trump’s second term. Look out for our conversation here.
Norm Eisen at 3 p.m. ET: In 2019, I met Norm on Capitol Hill when he served as the House Judiciary Committee’s co-counsel before Trump’s first impeachment. Norm brought me on board the “Trump Trials Clearinghouse” for Just Security, where my coverage of the New York trial — and the other criminal cases — appeared at the time. Look out for our conversation here.
Vicky Ward at 4:45 p.m. ET: My weekly live-streams with Vicky continue this week with another legal roundup. We have discussed the Trump docket, the Sean Combs trial, and Harvey Weinstein case in previous weeks. Look out for our conversation here.
The bottom line: Trump wants to rewrite the history of his criminal prosecutions, an effort that relies on papering over the facts. Keeping informed on the latest in-depth reporting stands in the way of that objective.
See you soon!
Thanks for the update. I really appreciate your skill in keeping up with all the court dates. This is a great service for myself and all the other people who would be lost without this newsletter.
I feel there are so many consequential lawsuits and this is not one, from my perspective. Who cares about the stain of conviction. It did not stop him from getting elected president. Who pays for his legal representation? Taxpayers? The man is 79 years old. One can only hope that our collective pain is not prolonged much longer. Keep up the great work Adam! I rely on your posts for The Facts!