Donald Trump’s legal team has requested an indefinite postponement of his upcoming New York City trial, citing overwhelming pretrial publicity that they claim has made a fair trial impossible.
If granted, it would delay the trial scheduled to begin in two weeks on hush money charges related to payments made during the 2016 campaign.
“They are asking for an indefinite postponement of the trial on the basis that the pre-trial publicity surrounding Donald Trump and his alleged criminality is so suffused throughout New York that it’s impossible for him to get a fair trial,” NBC News’ Lisa Rubin said.
Trump’s lawyers argue saturation of media coverage on his legal issues, including other recent cases, has prejudiced the public.
However, prosecutors and experts say pretrial publicity alone rarely results in postponements, and there are mechanisms like sequestered juries that can mitigate its effects.
It remains to be seen if the judge grants the indefinite delay or considers other remedies instead.
