China News Network, April 4 According to Bloomberg News Agency citing people familiar with the matter on the 2nd, former US President Trump's legal team is considering the possibility of transferring his "hush money" criminal case to the more conservative Staten Island District Court in New York State for trial.
The anonymous attorney reportedly said the defense was considering an application to transfer the case from Manhattan to the more conservative Staten Island District Court. Lawyers worry Trump won't be able to get a fair trial in Manhattan.
Sources familiar with the situation noted that Trump's political team has not yet made a final decision on the application. He explained that lawyers wanted to know the specific charges against Trump in the indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Infographic: Former US President Trump.
According to reports, the indictment will be unsealed on the 4th, when Trump will appear in court for arraignment and plead not guilty to the charge of paying adult movie star Stormy Daniels "hush money" before the 2016 election. Trump has previously denied having an affair with Daniels and paying "hush money," and said the criminal charges against him are "the highest level of witch hunt and election interference ever."
Jennifer Rogers, a former U.S. attorney, said any attempt to transfer this criminal charge to other regional courts is likely to fail because defendants are not entitled to seek a jury based on factors they deem more favorable, including friendly political views.
"The only reason they're trying to move the trial to the Staten Island area is because he thinks — based on voter registration — it's going to have a friendlier jury for (Trump)," Rogers said. "That's not going to happen."
Trump's criminal prosecution stemmed from an investigation by Democrat Alvin Bragg's office in Manhattan that Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $2016,13 in "hush money" before the <> U.S. presidential election, with whom Daniels said he had an affair years ago. Trump denied it.