The beginning of former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York City on Monday went “unfairly,” as was expected, legal scholar Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax.
Dershowitz appeared on “National Report” shortly after the trial began. Trump is charged with falsifying business records to pay a former adult film star to keep quiet before the 2016 election about an alleged extramarital affair.
Judge Juan Merchan denied Trump’s request for a recusal in the case, and said he would allow the prosecution to enter new evidence involving the “National Enquirer,” according to Newsmax’s Jon Glasgow.
Merchan also said he would ask potential jury members two questions: Whether they’re unable to serve due to conflict, and whether they do not believe they can serve in an impartial way, Glasgow added.
“It’s going as it thought it would, very unfairly against Trump,” Dershowitz told co-hosts Shaun Kraisman and Emma Rechenberg. “The questions that are being asked of the jurors are absurd.
“They’re asking the jurors, ‘Can you be fair?’ What juror in his right mind would ever say, No, I can’t be fair. The question should not ask the jurors anything about their own ability to render a fair verdict. That’s a decision that should be made only after extensive examination about the facts.”
Dershowitz continued” “What have you heard about Trump? What have you said about Trump? What have people told you about Trump? Have you expressed views about Trump? These are the issues.
“Don’t ask a juror whether it can be fair. Of course, a juror will always say they can be fair if they want to serve on the jury. If they don’t want to serve on the jury, they’ll say, No, they can’t be fair, even if they could be fair.”
The Harvard Law School professor emeritus went on to say that Trump may get convicted despite this being “the weakest [case] I’ve seen in 60 years of teaching and practicing and writing about criminal law.”
“It may well result in a conviction because of jury selection and because the jurors are picked from the pool, 85% of whom voted against Donald Trump and probably hate Donald Trump and are going to try to hide that hatred in order to get on the jury to convict him,” Dershowitz said.
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