Trump to try to move Manhattan hush money case to federal court
Former President Trump will try to move his Manhattan criminal hush money case from state to federal court, his lawyer said.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche made the announcement during a court hearing on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.
Moving the case to federal court would increase the potential jury pool, which is currently limited to the heavily-Democratic population of Manhattan.
Blanche said Trump’s legal team will file a motion later on Thursday to transfer the case, according to the AP.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records over his alleged role in a hush money scheme ahead of the 2016 presidential election. He pleaded not guilty.
The former president, who has been in Ireland this week, did not attend the hearing. It focused on prosecutors’ request for a protective order, which would place rules on how Trump can use evidence that prosecutors turn over to him during discovery.
Down the street from the hearing in Manhattan criminal court, Trump is also in the midst of an unrelated civil trial over writer E. Jean Carroll’s accusation that Trump raped her in the mid-1990s.
Carroll is suing Trump for defamation over an October 2022 Truth Social post he made denying her claims and for sexual battery. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.