Former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker expressed concerns about the potential for bias among jurors in former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York City, during an interview on Newsmax’s “American Agenda.”
The trial, which centers on accusations that Trump falsified business records to hide a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, has already seen the seating of the first seven jurors, including an attorney and a civil litigator.
Whitaker highlighted the presence of these legal professionals on the jury as potentially beneficial due to their legal knowledge, but he also pointed out that typically, lawyers are not preferred on juries in criminal trials because they might overly influence the deliberations or be perceived as too knowledgeable about the legal system.
Ex President Donald Trump (Credits: www.history.com)
However, Whitaker’s primary concern was with the jury selection process, noting that over half of the prospective jurors considered that day were dismissed due to expressed biases against Trump.
He speculated about the presence of what he termed “sleeper cells”—individuals who might conceal their biases to get selected for the jury, potentially affecting the fairness of the trial.
Donald Trump (Credits: The Daily Beast)
Whitaker suggested that these issues would require ongoing vigilance from Trump’s legal team, who would need to continue their examination of the jurors’ backgrounds and opinions even after the jury has been finalized.
He emphasized the importance of the six alternate jurors who might replace any original jurors dismissed during the trial due to emerging biases or other issues.
This case and its developments are particularly important given the high-profile nature of the defendant and the political tensions surrounding his legal challenges.
