Donald Trump defense attorney Will Scharf on Monday morning said finding “impartial” jurors in the former president’s New York hush money criminal trial will be a “very difficult task” and a lengthy process.
“What will Mr. Trump's legal team be looking for to try to at least get one juror who might vote not guilty?” CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked Scharf during an interview as Trump's criminal trial got underway.
“I think at the end of the day, what we're looking for are fair-minded and impartial jurors; jurors who are going to consider the facts and the law and jurors who are going to come into this case with an open mind,” Scharf said. “I think in light of the wall-to-wall media coverage, in light of all the sensationalism surrounding this trial, and in light of the fact, frankly, that we're at the height of a presidential election, I think it's going to be a very difficult task, and that's why jury selection in this case is expected to take a very long time.”
Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. The charges stem from a $130,000 payment that Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels at the end of the 2016 election to stop her from going public with an allegation that she and Trump had an affair.
The former president has denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to the charges, which he has repeatedly called politically motivated.Jury selection is expected to take at least a few days — and potentially even a few weeks.
