Trump Tries to Stop First Criminal Trial for Stupidest Possible Reason
Donald Trump has asked to adjourn his hush money trial indefinitely on the basis of too much “pre-trial publicity.”
The former reality TV host and his legal team are arguing that the nature of his charges is so widely known in New York that it would be impossible for him to get a fair trial. That is, of course, despite the fact that Trump has used practically all the platforms available to him, including his rallies and his social media company, to draw more attention to the proceedings.
Still, Trump was quick to place blame on practically everyone else for the widely circulated news. In court documents, which were filed last week but released Monday, Trump blamed the district attorney of New York for the “manufactured timing of Weisselberg’s plea,” referring to former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg pleading guilty to perjury.
Trump also claimed that his former fixer Michael Cohen would “spew vitriol” to “anyone who will listen,” and slammed porn actress Stormy Daniels’ latest documentary about her legal saga with the former president, claiming it was filled with “prejudicial, false commentary about this case.”
After surveying 400 residents from New York, Orange, Richmond, Rockland, and Suffolk Counties, Trump’s legal team determined that “many of the potential jurors already wrongfully believe that President Trump is guilty.”
The team also pointed to a “media study” finding, claiming that they had found 1,223 online news articles published between January and February that “included prejudicial discussion of other proceedings involving President Trump and inaccurate and irrelevant discussions of alleged sexual misconduct, including false claims regarding ‘rape.’”
The tactic is, most likely, another attempt to delay the only one of Trump’s criminal trials currently on the docket, with jury selection scheduled to begin April 15.
Judge Juan Merchan has so far batted away several other delay tactics by the GOP presidential nominee, resulting in a ruling last week that Trump’s legal team must first ask for permission to make future filings in an effort to avoid more delays.
Last month, the court overcame a brief delay in the trial after the Southern District of New York offloaded 100,000 pages worth of documents mere days before the trial was scheduled to begin.
Trump is accused of using Cohen to sweep an affair with Daniels under the rug ahead of the 2016 presidential election. He faces 34 felony charges in this case for allegedly falsifying business records with the intent to further an underlying crime. Trump has pleaded not guilty on all counts.
This story has been updated.
