(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The inclusion of two New York lawyers on the jury for former President Donald Trump’s trial might unsettle some on the left.
Why? Because these lawyers could potentially scrutinize Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s questionable legal framework to charge Trump.
This selection might work in Trump’s favor during the trial, countering allegations made by Bragg regarding alleged payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.
Bragg is basing his prosecution of alleged falsified business records for these payments on a legal theory that has left many, including legal expert Jonathan Turley and former Attorney General Bill Barr, scratching their heads.
Currently, the trial is in jury selection, with seven jurors already chosen (including the two lawyers). According to Politico, one serves as a civil litigator at a prominent white-shoe law firm, while the other is a corporate lawyer.
These legal professionals could arrive at conclusions akin to those of Barr and Turley. “Bragg released an indictment that was so vague on key elements that it is unclear what the grand jury thought it was voting on,” Turley wrote in a New York Post op-ed.
“He vaguely referenced state and federal election laws and later refused to add any details on how they relate to the prosecution,” he added.
Similarly, Barr, far from a Trump enthusiast, labeled the case an “abomination” and “political.”
During an interview with Fox News, Barr stated, “I’ve said from the beginning this case is an abomination, it’s obviously political. Seven years after he pays hush money to try to come up with this case.”
He added: “It’s not only farfetched. They are trying to predicate it on a federal crime which wasn’t prosecuted. They are wrong about it. This was not a campaign contribution. They are just wrong on the law.”
At the crux of Bragg’s claims is the assertion that Trump participated in payments to aid his 2016 presidential campaign.
In filing these charges, Bragg asserts that Trump violated federal election laws by not declaring the payments to Daniels and McDougal as campaign expenses. However, Trump has never faced charges under any federal election laws regarding these payments.
In fact, Trump goes a step further, denying ever having had any form of intimate relationship with either woman.
The case underwent a federal investigation and then passed through the Manhattan District Attorney’s office under Bragg’s predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., who ultimately opted not to prosecute Trump.
Vance Jr. retired in 2021, paving the way for Bragg to campaign on the promise of indicting Trump—an action he followed through on, becoming the first prosecutor ever to file charges against a former president.
During his 2021 Democrat primary campaign, far-left Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg said the Trump investigation would be “waiting for the new D.A.,” then bragged he “sued the Trump administration more than 100 times.” pic.twitter.com/g2U26ehVes
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 4, 2023
