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Case study: Danchenko trial decided by jury selection, not by jury

Case study: Danchenko trial decided by jury selection, not by jury


Case study: Danchenko trial decided by jury selection, not by jury

A public policy analyst and former prosecutor says a recent court decision in a high-profile case is further proof that jury selection can be the most important portion of a trial – and that securing an unbiased jury can be difficult, even in America's capital.

On Tuesday, a DC jury acquitted Igor Danchenko (pictured above) on all charges related to the Christopher Steele dossier case. Danchenko was accused of lying to the FBI about his role in the creation of the discredited dossier about former President Donald Trump. The case against Danchenko was the third and possibly final case brought by Special Counsel John Durham as part of his probe into how the FBI conducted its own investigation into allegations of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

Abraham Hamilton III is General Counsel and public policy analyst for American Family Association.

Hamilton, Abraham (AFA attorney) Hamilton

"The trial took place in the DC area, in Alexandria, Virginia," he explains. "It's becoming increasingly evident that securing an unbiased jury in that area is becoming more and more difficult.

"Any trial attorney will tell you the most important portion of any trial is jury selection. [They will tell you] no matter what your evidence is that you plan to present to a jury, if you have a jury that is predisposed against your evidence, it's not going to go well for you at trial."

But Hamilton says the Justice Department might have overplayed its hand with the Trump raid at Mar-a-Lago on August 8, 2022.

"That was the breach that caused several high-level FBI officials to become whistleblowers," notes Hamilton. "Senator Chuck Grassley has shared some of that information – and others have declared that.

"And because the warrant [for that raid] was executed in Florida, that may serve as a grounds to have these investigations first and the prosecution to occur in a venue outside of DC … mainly potentially in Florida."

Hamilton made his comments during an appearance on American Family Radio on Wednesday.


Editor's Note: The American Family Association is the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.