Donald Trump’s longtime lawyer has warned that New York jurors in his hush money case could be infected with “Trump derangement syndrome” by liberal friends and family over the holiday weekend.
Closing arguments will begin when the court returns Tuesday before the jury is sent to consider its verdict on 34 counts of falsifying business records against the former president.
And Alina Habba, who represented Trump in his civil fraud case, criticized Judge Juan Merchán for not sequestering jurors at a hotel during what could be the final weekend of the six-week trial.
“I have serious concerns about the fact that you may be out and about on a holiday weekend with friends and family who have opinions, who are watching the news and TV in the background at the pool party,” he told Sean. Duffy on Fox. News.
‘If you’re on the left and you’re watching MSDNC, as my client calls it, or CNN, you’re not going to get fair news.
Alina Habba, who represented Trump in his civil fraud case, warned that jurors in his hush money trial could be infected by family members with “Trump derangement syndrome” over the long Memorial Day weekend. Fallen
Former President Donald Trump is likely to receive a verdict within days on the 34 charges he faces of falsifying business records after the court returns Tuesday.
“I’m worried that they’ll go back to whatever friends they may have, Trump Derangement Syndrome, that they’ll forget all sense of reality and they’ll go back and sit in that box and say, you know what? I have to do, you know, take one . for the Democratic National Committee.
‘I want the law to be a fact, because if we can get it, we will win. We won’t just get a hung jury. We will get absolution.’
The twelve jurors were sworn in on April 22 after three days of wrangling between prosecution and defense attorneys.
Among the seven men and five women are a corporate lawyer, an investment banker, a software engineer and a professor.
The jury president, when asked where he gets his news, told Dailymail.com, among other outlets.
But one of the jurors called the former forewoman “selfish” when questioned about her opinions in court.
Another said he follows former Trump attorney and prosecution witness Michael Cohen on social media, as well as Mueller She Wrote, a popular anti-Trump account.
And half of them revealed that they get at least some of their news from the left-leaning New York Times.
Trump has claimed that Judge Juan M. Merchán “can’t stand me” and called the trial a political witch hunt designed to keep him off the campaign trail.
Joe Biden was reported to be anxiously awaiting a verdict that could make Trump the first former president convicted of a felony, threatening to derail his White House bid.
The president has avoided commenting on the case, but is expected to give a speech at the White House after the verdict is delivered, the WSJ reported.
And his campaign plans to start referring to the former president as “convicted criminal Donald Trump” in communications if the verdict is guilty.
The lawsuit stems from an alleged $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
The case, one of four criminal charges Trump faces, centers on the claim that he tried to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to maintain her silence.
The former president has called it a political witch hunt, designed to keep him out of the election campaign.
He is also the only one likely to have gone to trial before the November general election.
Judge Merchan, who has repeatedly clashed with Trump’s defense team and issued a series of gag orders against the former president, will deliver his instructions to the jury once both sides have concluded their summation.
Habba said the instructions serve as a “road map” for the jury and are the most critical part of the trial.
“Judge Merchan is very conflicted,” he said.
“At this point I have no confidence that this person, who should not be sitting on the stand right now, will properly instruct the jury without any persuasion to the prosecution.
“The last resort for this prosecution is this judge.”
The former president received a rapturous reception when he became the first Republican presidential candidate in 40 years to hold a rally in the Bronx on Thursday.
But he could become the first former president to be convicted of a serious crime when the New York jury issues its verdict on the 34 charges he faces.
The former president received a warm welcome when he became the first Republican presidential candidate in 40 years to hold a rally in the Bronx on Thursday.
And the Sunday Morning Futures presenter told his guest he was more optimistic about the jury than she was.
“I want to tell you something, there is a positive side to this, Alina,” Duffy said.
‘I don’t want a jury to come in on the Thursday or Friday before Memorial Day weekend, you know what? I have a party going on. I want to finish this case early.
“I think it could bode well for President Trump, for those people on the jury who understand the law and the facts, to fight for him and fight for justice.”