The Manhattan District Attorney’s office, led by Alvin Bragg (D), is pushing back against former President Trump’s request to postpone his upcoming hush money trial due to potential bias in the media.
In court documents released on Wednesday, prosecutors have stated their argument for proceeding with the April 15 trial date. They emphasized that this is the eighth attempt by Trump to delay the schedule, which is part of his overall legal strategy to postpone all four of his criminal trials until after the November election.
According to Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, the case is expected to continue receiving significant media attention in the national spotlight. Colangelo also stated that Trump purposely seeks out and generates press attention for himself.
“In the latest filing, Colangelo asserts that the defendant cannot have it both ways. On the one hand, they are complaining about the prejudicial impact of pretrial publicity. On the other hand, they are attempting to taint the jury pool themselves by making unfounded and provocative accusations about the trial, certain witnesses, individual prosecutors, and even the Court,” wrote Colangelo.
Last week, Trump once again insisted on an indefinite postponement of the trial. He argued that the extensive media coverage of his hush money case, which is set to become the first criminal trial of a former president in less than two weeks, is biasing potential jurors and impeding a fair trial.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche argued in a recently publicized motion that it would be impossible to select an unbiased jury in the county in the near future, including in April of this year. He urged the court to postpone the trial date until the prejudicial media coverage dies down.
According to Blanche, she included a media study and polling, which was commissioned by Trump’s team. The study indicated that a majority of Manhattan residents, who make up Trump’s potential jury pool, already believe that the former president is guilty.
Bragg’s office is currently prosecuting Trump on 34 charges of falsifying business records. The allegations claim that the former president criminally covered up a hush money payment, with the intention of concealing damaging information from the public prior to the 2016 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to these charges.
In response, prosecutors have strongly argued against Trump’s motion, pointing out numerous inaccuracies and claims that have already been dismissed by the judge. They also raised concerns about the reliability of the data provided by Trump’s team.
Colangelo responded to the defendant’s request for an adjournment by stating that none of the new information provided supports this request. In fact, Colangelo argues that much of the new data actually confirms the court’s ability to find twelve impartial jurors (and alternates) in Manhattan.
“We urge the Court to maintain its previous decisions and adhere to the scheduled trial date of April 15, 2024.”
