Former President Trump’s lawyers dismissed the significance of his first criminal trial, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, calling the case nothing more than a “six-week media extravaganza.”
President Trump’s criminal hush money trial begins with jury selection in Manhattan on Monday, with prosecutors claiming the former president illegally concealed payments made late in the 2016 presidential campaign to cover up a past affair. are doing.
“Jury selection is going to be difficult,” attorney Will Scharf said in an interview with Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” “I believe our team will get the best jury possible.”
“At the end of the day, what we’re talking about here is a show trial,” he continued. “This is a six-week media extravaganza in the media capital of the world, and even if President Trump is convicted, the real outcome is frankly the only talking point for the Biden campaign. ”
Schaaf also did not indicate whether Trump would take the stand himself, after Bream cited a history of speaking out of turn in court in past civil cases. The former president has already clashed with Judge Juan Melchán over the case, and is now under a gag order after going after the judge’s daughter.
“Depending on how the trial progresses, I think it will be the decision of President Trump and the trial team,” he said. “I think President Trump would be a convincing witness if he took his stand.”
“He did nothing wrong here. The truth is absolutely on his side,” he continued. “So, that’s something we’ll have to decide in the future. But either way, I have full confidence in both President Trump and the team around him.”
The trial is expected to last about six weeks and is the first of four criminal charges against the former president.
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