Trump legal team considering request to move Manhattan trial to Staten Island: Report

The legal team for former President Donald Trump is contemplating a request to move his criminal trial case from Manhattan to a courthouse in Staten Island. The team is worried that the former president won’t receive a fair trial in Manhattan. However, Trump’s lawyers have not made a decision on whether to request the move, as they are waiting to see the specific charges in the case. Trump is expected to appear in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday for his arraignment where his charges will be revealed for the first time.

Legal experts think that prosecutors won’t agree to move the trial, as defendants are not entitled to choose jury pools that may be more favorable to them. Jennifer Rodgers, a former federal prosecutor, said that the only reason Trump would want to move the venue to Staten Island is based on voter registration, which makes the potential jury pool more favorable towards him. However, that’s not going to work.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, and he has consistently accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of politically motivated prosecution. Trump also denied having an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, who accused him of having sexual relations with her in 2016 during his first White House bid. The hush money case is based on testimony from Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen who paid Daniels $130,000 to be silent. Cohen was later reimbursed by the Trump Organization, and prosecutors are investigating if Trump falsified business records to list the reimbursement as a legal expense. Such acts are a misdemeanor in New York.

Trump was asked to surrender on Friday, but his lawyers said that they needed more time to prepare his security detail.