On Wednesday, prosecutors in New York urged the judge to recuse himself Donald Trumphis bid to delay pending criminal case The former president “constantly incited and encouraged such advertising,” according to the pretrial ads.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said Trump’s “sustained rhetoric generates significant publicity and it would be wrong to reward the defendant with a reprieve based on the media attention he actively seeks.” The filing was in response to a request by Trump’s attorneys that the trial be postponed for the foreseeable future due to “biased” publicity surrounding the case.
“Here, the defendant did more than make occasional statements: instead, he invited public attention to this criminal trial through campaign rallies, online social media posts, television interviews of himself and his attorney, and frequent press conferences, including court hearings. “A lot of courthouse hallways are steps away from the courtroom before and after court appearances,” the DA’s filing said.
Trump’s attorney did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
Trump’s attorneys filed a lawsuit last month, arguing that their client “could not currently receive a fair trial in New York County” due to extensive negative press coverage, as well as repeated statements by two key witnesses in the case, the former Trump. commissioner Michael Cohen and adult movie star Stormy Daniels.
Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 In the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign, she remained silent on allegations that she had sex with Trump years ago. Trump has denied Daniels’ claim, but prosecutors allege that he instructed Cohen to make the payment and then reimbursed him for payments that were falsely classified as legal expenses. Trump pleaded not guilty.
Trump’s giving Cohen said he “has and will continue to sow vitriol in the public sphere about President Trump,” and Daniels has made statements critical of the president, saying in a new documentary about him on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming platform that he “has a biased, false interpretation of this case and President Trump.”
The DA’s office said it had no real means of enforcing access restrictions on Cohen and Daniels, who are private citizens. In any case, there is no indication that their public statements significantly affected the overall level of publicity attached to the case. Especially compared to the extensive national press coverage of the defendant’s own provocative statements.. Nor is there any reason to think that a delay would make a difference: the press will likely seek comment from these individuals when the defendant’s trial takes place, whether or not there is a trial. starts on April 15 or later.”
Prosecutors also noted that there will always be publicity surrounding the case.
“Since this trial is a criminal case against the former president, media attention will be significant regardless of when (or where) the trial is held,” the petition reads.
The DA said the judge rejected a similar request from Trump’s attorneys in February and there was no reason to change his position. They also told the judge Juan Merchan The effort is the eighth time Trump has delayed the trial, which is scheduled to begin jury selection in less than two weeks.
“A defendant simply cannot have it both ways: complaining of the prejudicial effect of pretrial publicity, while also seeking to taint the jury by making baseless and inflammatory accusations about this trial, specific witnesses, individual prosecutors, and the Court itself.” argued.