The Manhattan district attorney’s office on Wednesday urged a judge to reject an attempt by former President Donald Trump to delay his criminal hush money trial, scheduled to begin in less than two weeks, due to the large amount of pretrial publicity.
Prosecutors argued that much of the publicity Trump’s attorneys complained about is of his own making.
“[D]efendant’s own incessant rhetoric is generating significant publicity, and it would be perverse to reward defendant with an adjournment based on media attention he is actively seeking,” assistant district attorney Matthew Colangelo wrote in response to Trump’s motion.
Trump’s attorneys argued that “potential jurors in Manhattan have been exposed to huge amounts of biased and unfair media coverage relating to this case” — but prosecutors said a thorough jury selection process can yield an impartial jury.
“Defendant thus fails to demonstrate that the publicity surrounding this case is prejudicial at all, much less so inflammatory as to jeopardize the fundamental fairness of the trial,” Colangelo said.
This is Trump’s eighth attempt to delay the start of the trial, which is set to begin April 15 with jury selection.
Former President Donald Trump arrives for a rally, April 2, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors say the former president was trying to hide long-denied allegations of an affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels from voters ahead of the 2016 election.
The former president has denied all wrongdoing.