NEW YORK — A Trump associate facing a Brooklyn federal trial is pushing to disqualify dozens of potential jurors who roasted the former president as the public figure they least admire — calling him “divisive, ignorant, racist, misogynistic and dislikable in every way,” according to new court filings.
Lawyers for Thomas Barrack, who chaired former President Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee, want a judge to automatically dismiss prospective jurors who didn’t mince words when asked on a screening questionnaire if they had “any strong feelings” about the 2016 presidential campaign of Trump or his administration.
Barrack, 75, goes on trial in Brooklyn Federal Court on Sept. 19 on charges he tried to criminally influence Trump’s foreign policy positions to benefit the United Arab Emirates. Trump has not been charged in the case.
Barrack’s lawyers are trying to get more than 70% of the 409 prospective jurors disqualified for various reasons. Among those prospective jurors are dozens who expressed dislike for Trump.
One person considered for the jury said they loathed Trump “for embarrassing our country & trying to steal an election,” according to Barrack’s lawyers. Another lamented his “self-centered and hatred filled and childish leadership.”
“Self-serving, dangerous, entitled enabler of hatred and division,” wrote another prospective panelist when asked about the ex-commander-in-chief.
Juror 347 said they admired Trump less than anyone on Earth because “he’s a crook.”
Juror 406 said their reason for ranking Trump last was his “lack of personal integrity and disregard for democracy.”
Barrack’s lawyers say none of them should make it to the next round of jury selection to answer questions in person.
“It is difficult to imagine a situation that more clearly demonstrates both express and relevant implied bias than jurors who express that President Trump is their least favorite person in the entire world,” wrote defense attorney Randall Jackson.
Government prosecutors opposed the wholesale dismissal of people who referenced disdain for Trump and said doing so risked finding nobody in the remaining pool. Some said their contempt for Trump would hinder their ability to judge the case, but others said they could still be fair.
“(The) fact that they have opinions — even strongly held opinions — about the former president is not, on its own, a basis to disqualify them,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Harris.
“A person’s strong feelings about a political or public figure, even if that figure testifies, is not itself a basis to strike a juror for cause absent proof of some form of bias under the law.”
Lawyers for Barrack, a billionaire real estate investor, plan to call at least two former Trump administration members as witnesses, according to filings. They say they have not ruled out calling the former president as a witness, but prosecutors have expressed skepticism.
At a hearing Monday, Judge Brian Cogan said he would soon rule on the defense request.
The feds say Barrack agreed to endorse officials of the United Arab Emirates for high-level appointments and leak nonpublic information to foreign agent Rashid al-Malik Alshahhi. They have also accused him of lying during a 2019 meeting with FBI special agents about his illegal closed-door conversations.
Barrack, who has pleaded not guilty, has avoided pretrial incarceration with a $250 million bail package and ankle monitor.
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