Trump's new lawyers move to appeal New York criminal conviction over 'misuse' of law



President Donald Trump secured a new legal team as he moves to appeal the New York criminal conviction where a jury found him guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Earlier this month, Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an "unconditional discharge," meaning the president would not face jail time, fines, or probation supervision. While the sentencing did not interfere with Trump's ability to return to the White House for his second term, it officially solidified his felony convictions and, in doing so, allowed the appeal process to begin.

'The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent.'

During his sentencing, Trump called the case a "setback for New York" and its court system.

"It was done to damage my reputation so I would lose the election, and obviously that didn't work," Trump stated.

"I got indicted over calling a legal expense a legal expense," he continued. "I just want to say I think it's an embarrassment to New York."

Trump's new legal team, led by Robert Giuffra with Sullivan & Cromwell, filed a notice to appeal on Tuesday, formally starting the process.

Giuffra and several other Sullivan & Cromwell attorneys — James McDonald, Morgan Ratner, Jeff Wall, and Matthew Schwartz — are expected to submit a legal brief in the coming months to make the case for an appeal of the convictions.

Trump was previously represented by attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove in the New York case that accused him of hiding hush-money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Since Trump's November presidential election victory, Bove has become the acting deputy attorney general for the Department of Justice. Trump nominated Blanche as deputy attorney general. He is currently awaiting confirmation.

Giuffra stated, "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."

"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," he continued.

The appeal will first be heard in New York's Appellate Division court and then move to the state's highest court, the State Court of Appeals in Albany.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will have an opportunity to respond to Trump's argument for the appeal.

Bragg's office did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

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Democratic mayors called to testify as House committee launches investigation into sanctuary cities



The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced Monday that it is launching an investigation into sanctuary jurisdictions and their impact on public safety and federal immigration enforcement.

Sanctuary policies prohibit local officials from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

'Misguided and obstructionist policies.'

A press release from Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) explained that the committee sent letters to mayors of several sanctuary cities: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (D), Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D), and New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D).

The mayors were requested to turn over “documents and communications related to their cities’ sanctuary policies” and asked to testify before the committee during a hearing scheduled for February 11.

The committee’s press release noted that there are roughly “12 states and hundreds of cities and counties with sanctuary laws or policies across the country” that are “shielding removable aliens, especially criminals, from federal law enforcement.” It stated that the cities’ leaders “refuse to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.”

In the letters to the mayors, the committee explained that it decided to specifically investigate those four sanctuary cities because they “stand out in their abject failure to comply with federal law,” adding that the cities’ citizens have “suffered” as a result.

“Sanctuary jurisdictions and their misguided and obstructionist policies hinder the ability of federal law enforcement officers to effectuate safe arrests and remove dangerous criminals from American communities, making Americans less safe,” Comer stated.

“On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump took decisive actions to restore the rule of law with respect to immigration enforcement,” he continued. “In addition to the efforts of the Trump Administration to ensure federal immigration enforcement can proceed unimpeded, Congress must determine whether further legislation is necessary to enhance border security and public safety. It is imperative that federal immigration law is enforced and that criminal aliens are swiftly removed from our communities.”

A spokesperson for Wu’s office released a statement in response to the House committee’s letter.

“We are proud that Boston is the safest major city in the United States. We have received the letter and are reviewing it,” the statement read.

Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn told WCVB, “When someone commits a crime, regardless of immigration status, we can’t stand in the way of justice for a survivor of crime or respect for the rule of law and society.”

“A respectful and cooperative working relationship between Boston Police and federal authorities, including ICE, is critical. We can’t play politics with the security and safety of residents,” Flynn added.

A spokesperson for Adams’ office told Fox News Digital, “Mayor Adams has made clear that New York City is committed to working with our federal partners to fix our broken immigration system and focus on the small number of people who are entering our localities and committing violent crimes.”

“We will review the letter and respond accordingly,” the spokesperson said.

A representative for Denver Mayor Johnston said Monday night, “The most helpful thing congressional Republicans could do right now is fix our broken immigration system. While they work on that, we will focus on running the cities that manage the consequences of their failure to act.”

Chicago Mayor Johnson’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Last week, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove issued a three-page memo signaling a crackdown on sanctuary cities. The correspondence directed the Department of Justice’s prosecutors to open investigations into state and local leaders who obstruct the Trump administration’s deportation plans.

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Trump's first NYC ICE raids snag Tren de Aragua gang leader tied to viral Colorado apartment incident



President Donald Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched its first raids in New York early Tuesday morning, resulting in the arrest of a notorious gang leader and other violent illegal alien criminals.

Police sources told the New York Post that ICE's first arrests involved individuals with warrants for crimes including burglary, menacing, kidnapping, extortion, and other violent offenses.

'We are getting the dirtbags off these streets.'

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News that the early morning raids targeted "murderers, kidnappers, and individuals charged of assault and burglary."

One of the individuals apprehended by ICE was a Dominican national wanted for a double homicide in his home country.

Federal immigration agents also arrested 25-year-old Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, a Tren de Aragua ringleader tied to a viral surveillance video from August that captured armed suspected gang members storming through an Aurora, Colorado, apartment complex.

Zambrano-Pacheco was arrested by DEA agents and Department of Homeland Security officers at the apartment complex in the Bronx early Tuesday morning. He faces kidnapping, burglary, and menacing charges.

New DHS Secretary Kristi Noem joined ICE during its first New York City raids this week.

"We're here in New York City this morning. We are getting the dirtbags off these streets," she stated.

Noem posted a video on social media showing law enforcement officials arresting a "criminal alien with kidnapping, assault & burglary charges."

"We are doing this right — doing exactly what President @realDonaldTrump promised the American people — making our streets safe," she wrote.

The Post reported that the New York Police Department issued an internal memo reminding officers that they may partner with federal immigration officials regarding criminal investigations but that the city's sanctuary laws prevent them from aiding in deportation efforts.

ICE reported that on January 27, it arrested 1,179 and lodged 853 detainers. The following day, it made another 969 arrests and filed 869 detainer requests.

Border czar Tom Homan has stated that ICE is prioritizing the arrest of safety threats but noted that anyone in the country illegally is "on the table" for deportation.

Homan told ABC News, "You're going to see the numbers steadily increase, the number of arrests nationwide, as we open up the aperture."

"Right now, it's concentrating on public safety threats [and] national security threats. That's a smaller population," he continued. "So we're going to do this on a priority [basis], that's President Trump's promise. But as that aperture opens, there'll be more arrests nationwide."

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'Please stop this nonsense': Transgender college sprinter breaks women's track records for second year in a row



A male athlete is making headlines for the second straight January after breaking more women's college track records.

Camden Schreiner, who goes by "Sadie," set facility records at Brockport’s Rust Buster, a track and field event in New York where multiple universities compete, such as Roberts Wesleyan University and Schreiner's Rochester Institute of Technology.

The junior sprinter set records by winning the women's 200-meter dash in 24.50 seconds and the women's 400-meter dash in 55.91 seconds. The times were also program records, according to RIT.

"He is currently ranked #1 in DIII women’s 200 & 400 meter dashes," said Ashley Keleher, former track star at Colby-Sawyer College.

The Division III times were also announced by RIT, which later named Schreiner female athlete of the week while boasting the achievements.

"Please stop this nonsense," Keleher added.

Keleher, a woman who broke at least four track records herself in 2021-2022, later posted video of Schreiner's performance and said she "can’t wait" for stories like this to stop.

On Schreiner's social media page, he wrote, "starting the season off right where I left off," followed by hearts and a transgender flag.

"The times will only get faster from here," he added.

Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images

'Males stealing female records ...'

Schreiner also made headlines in January 2024 after breaking school records for the women's 200-meter and 300-meter sprints.

At the same meet, Schreiner also placed first in the 4x400-meter relay and earned a Liberty League Women's Track & Field Performer of the Week award, according to KATV.

Former Division I swimmer Riley Gaines said at the time that "women's records mean nothing if they're set by men."

Olympic marathon runner Mara Yamauchi shared the footage of Schreiner and said the purpose of women's sports is not to entertain men's feelings.

"Same as in parkrun - males stealing female records which will probably be out of female hands forever. All for what? To indulge men's feelings," she wrote,

Schreiner has been celebrated for crushing female athletes and was rewarded with professional photo shoots by the Washington Post and full support from RIT and its head track coach, David Warth.

Schreiner's school bio also notes he is a two-time All-American, is an Atlantic Region Outdoor Champion, and has set at least five program records in outdoor/indoor running.

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'Be a good Democrat': NYC Mayor Adams tells Tucker Carlson Biden's DOJ 'targeted' him for criticizing immigration policies



New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) told Tucker Carlson that former President Joe Biden's "politicized" Department of Justice "targeted" him for daring to criticize the administration's immigration policies.

During the interview, released Tuesday evening, Adams told Carlson that he made 100 trips to Washington, D.C., to express his concerns about the "onslaught" of immigrants arriving in New York City and the administration's "failed border policy."

'Punishment for complaining.'

In September, Adams was indicted for allegedly accepting $10 million in illegal foreign donations and bribes, including from the Turkish government. Adams has repeatedly denied the charges.

Carlson called the indictment "ridiculous," stating that the mayor was essentially facing criminal charges for accepting flight upgrades and allowing Turkish officials to occupy their own consulate in Manhattan.

"You heard the president [Biden] state that his Justice Department was politicized," Adams told Carlson. "You heard the incoming president [Donald Trump] stating that it's politicized."

Adams explained that when he spoke with Biden and his aides about the immigration crisis, he was told to "be a good Democrat, Eric."

"That was the basic overall theme. One of his aides told me that, 'Listen, this is like a gallstone; it'll pass,'" Adams said.

Later in the interview, the mayor elaborated on the reception he received from the administration.

"I think they used the terminology, 'You were not being a good Democrat.' I think that was their philosophy. That I was supposed to silently watch what happens to this city, and I love this city," he said.

The immigration crisis in New York City cost its taxpayers $6.5 billion, according to Adams, who noted that the Biden administration offered to give the city an "unrealistic" $138 million to offset the expenses.

When asked whether he believed the federal indictment was "punishment for complaining" about the immigration crisis, Adams responded, "That is clearly my belief."

Due to the ongoing litigation, Adams noted that he "can't go into detail" about why he believes Biden's DOJ indicted him but noted that there were "several aspects" that indicate he was "targeted."

Adams expressed serious concerns about the future ramifications of the immigration crisis on cities like New York, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and Houston.

"The long-term impact has yet to materialize," he continued. "After COVID, we're dealing with a severe mental health issue just throughout the entire country. But specifically here in New York, we have a substantial number of chronically absent young people who are just traumatized from COVID and other things, and they just stopped coming to school."

Adams stated that the taxpayer dollars that went toward addressing the immigration crisis could have been used for other priorities, including dyslexia screening, housing, and senior care.

"If I had $200 million that I can go out and go find those young people and place them back on the correct course, I'm preventing the long-term problem. If you don't educate, you're going to incarcerate. That's the common denominator in all of our prisons — the lack of education," he said.

Adams repeated the claim that his "hands were tied" throughout the ongoing immigration crisis, stating he was unable to stop the buses transporting foreign nationals into the city, could not grant immigrants work authorization to support themselves, and was thus compelled to use taxpayer funds for their housing.

The mayor, who once expressed his commitment to the city's sanctuary status, has since walked back his support, calling on the city council to revise its policies to allow local officials to cooperate with federal immigration agents to deport illegal aliens committing crimes in the city.

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NYC to open 2,200-bed migrant shelter for men despite boasting about recent closures, declining arrivals



New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced on Friday that the city will close more than two dozen migrant shelters while also revealing plans to open a massive new facility in the Bronx to house single adult males.

In December, Adams' administration said it would shut down several shelters, including facilities at Floyd Bennett Field and Randall's Island. Both locations housed massive tent cities that locals argued turned the areas into a hotbed for criminal activity.

'It's going to get more violent.'

Adams credited the closures to a declining number of new arrivals.

New York City stated Friday that it planned to close several more locations but would "open a smaller brick-and-mortar congregate facility on Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx dedicated to single adult male residents transferred from the tent-based emergency site at Randall's Island."

Since the Adams administration's announcement, more details about the new shelter have been revealed.

The New York Post reported that the city acquired approval for the 2,200-bed facility in December and noted that it will cost between $250,000 and $340,000 in taxpayer funds to get it up and running.

The shelter will be located near "the Hub," a commercial strip known for being one of the most drug-ridden areas of the city.

A city spokesperson told the Post that the new shelter was "a temporary move."

"Thanks to our strong management of this unprecedented humanitarian crisis, New York City has seen over six straight months of population decline in our emergency shelter system, allowing us to close 46 migrant shelters in the span of a year," the spokesperson stated.

According to the city, the shelter closures will save taxpayers $2.8 billion.

Bronx residents told the news outlets that, until recently, they were unaware of the city's plan to open a new shelter in their neighborhood.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) torched the Adams administration's decision.

Torres said, "Instead of dismantling open-air drug markets in the Hub, the city is treating the South Bronx as a dumping ground for the endless stream of shelters."

"The Bronx is treated differently than the rest of the city," Torres added. "We are treated as the second-class borough of New York City."

Serene Bilal, a 21-year-old Bronx resident, told the Post that opening the shelter was the "wrong move" and questioned the administration's choice of location.

"You need to work with the people already here. We have issues going on," Bilal continued. "It's going to be dangerous."

"We don't know who these people are. We are not talking about 10 people. We're talking about thousands. That's a lot," she added.

A local store manager told the news outlet that he is "concerned" about the safety of his female employees, stating that he may consider changing some shifts.

"We have concerns just in general because there are people lingering in the streets, and there have been reports of thefts. It's going to get worse," he said. "I think they are discarding them in the shadows at the edge of the Bronx where they think people won't get affected."

A woman who works in the area told the Post she is also concerned about safety, stating that "there are no police around here."

"It's going to create more problems," she said, referring to the new shelter. "I think it's going to get more violent."

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‘New York Sack Exchange’ Examines The Vagaries Of Football And Friendship

For football fans, 'The New York Sack Exchange' provides a look back at one of the most dominating defenses in the game’s history.

NYC shuts down notorious migrant shelter but opens another



New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced on Friday the closure of a notorious tent city migrant shelter at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field.

The makeshift facility opened in November 2023 and provided 2,000 beds to the city's illegal alien population.

'The federal government did not do its job.'

Residents had complained that the area had turned into a hotbed for panhandling. In March, House Republicans claimed that the encampment had been linked to "an uptick in crime" in the surrounding neighborhood.

"The widespread reports of criminality in and around the Floyd Bennett Field migrant encampment include domestic violence, assault, shoplifting, prostitution, and panhandling scams," the GOP lawmakers said. "The Committee is deeply concerned with the Biden administration's management of American's public lands, notably at Floyd Bennett Field, and the inherent safety risks to employees at the park, residents of the surrounding communities, and migrants as a result of the decision to lease national park land for a migrant encampment."

In December, Adams' administration announced plans to close the Floyd Bennett Field shelter and two dozen other shelter facilities. He credited the closures to a decline in migrant arrivals and the city's "smart management strategies."

Adams told reporters on Saturday, "I just want to personally say sorry ... because this is something that none of us wanted. The federal government did not do its job, and New Yorkers had to do it for them."

Adams called the Floyd Bennett Field shelter an "inconvenience."

"We should use this as a teaching moment. No city should have to handle a national problem such as immigration," he said.

In Friday's announcement, the city added another 10 facilities to its list of planned closures, including the Holiday Inn in Staten Island's Travis neighborhood.

It also noted that it would "open a smaller brick-and-mortar congregate facility on Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx dedicated to single adult male residents transferred from the tent-based emergency site at Randall's Island."

Adams' decision to close city-run shelters received support from Republican leaders.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) said, "We're very pleased to learn that another migrant shelter in our community will close in the coming months."

"The Holiday Inn shelter in Travis has been a nuisance to the community with a number of quality of life issues, including panhandling, prostitution, and car break-ins in the surrounding neighborhood," Malliotakis continued. "After multiple meetings with the Mayor's Office, we're pleased that they've listened to the concerns raised by myself and Councilman [David] Carr and have agreed to take action to begin closing these facilities down. This is another step in the right direction, but we won't stop fighting until every one of these shelters draining our tax dollars and impacting our neighborhoods is shuttered."

City Council Member David Carr (R) stated, "This is great news for the people of Travis who have been living with the consequences of having three emergency shelters in their neighborhood."

"I have been fighting for this area alongside my colleagues since 2022, and given they were the first area of Staten Island to have one, it makes sense that they'd be the first [to] have an announced closure with hopefully more to come. I thank the mayor for starting this process," he added.

The Gothamist reported that the federal government has plans to rehabilitate Floyd Bennett Field, which features a pool, ice rink, gymnastics center, rock climbing, and athletic fields.

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NYC spent $50M on lawyers for illegal aliens — including criminals — while city agencies faced budget cuts: Report



The immigration crisis in New York City has not stopped officials from spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on lawyers for illegal aliens, including criminals, according to data reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Budget information obtained by the news outlet showed that the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project continued to receive a steady flow of taxpayer funding over the past few years.

'A ridiculous expenditure of taxpayer resources.'

NYIFUP is an initiative comprising several nonprofit organizations that provide free legal counsel to foreign nationals facing immigration proceedings. Specifically, the initiative offers services to individuals in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

One nonprofit that makes up the NYIFUP, the Bronx Defenders, stated that the initiative provides representation to foreign nationals “regardless of income, criminal history, or relief eligibility.”

“By advocating for release on bond and reducing the amount of time our clients spend in ICE custody, we lower the social and economic costs of homelessness, foster care, and unemployment created by immigration detentions and avoidable deportations,” the organization claimed.

Over the past several years, New York City taxpayers have given more than $50 million to NYIFUP, including $17,350,000 in fiscal year 2022, $16,600,000 in 2023, and another $16,600,000 in 2024, according to the data obtained by Daily Caller News Foundation.

While NYIFUP absorbed taxpayer funds, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced 5% budget cuts across all city agencies in late 2023. As a result, the already short-staffed New York Police Department froze hiring. It also meant fewer trash pickups and cuts to pre-K programs. Adams blamed the budget cuts on the city’s immigration crisis.

“In all my time in government, this is probably one of the most painful exercises I’ve gone through,” the mayor said.

New York City Council Member Inna Vernikov (R) told the DCNF that the city’s immigration issue has “gone far enough.”

“New York City needs to stop acting as a city-state and more as a part of a whole, under the jurisdiction of a national government that, per the U.S. Constitution, is the highest law in the land in immigration,” she said. “I’m interested in dealing in reality, and the reality is that this rogue experiment has failed.”

“Our taxpayer dollars need to be ripped away from any organization that enables criminal illegal migrants to wreak havoc in our city,” Vernikov added.

City Council Member David Carr (R) told the news outlet that NYIFUP is “a ridiculous expenditure of taxpayer resources.”

“While the federal government seeks to enforce our immigration laws, cities like New York should not be undermining that work, especially when it comes to defending criminals. We should be deporting criminal aliens as quickly as we can,” Carr said.

Matt O’Brien, investigations director for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, told the DCNF, “It’s hard to understand why New York City would want to spend scarce taxpayer funds to enable foreign lawbreakers to fight deportation.”

Neither the mayor’s office nor the Office of Immigrant Affairs responded to the news outlet’s request for comment.

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