President George W. Bush’s former White House Press Secretary and current Fox News political commentator Dana Perino addressed the speech delivered today by Hollywood movie star Robert De Niro across the street from the Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump faces 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business documents to cover up payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.
Note: In cooperation with the Biden-Harris campaign, the native New Yorker De Niro spoke with the press accompanied by Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone, two former police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. De Niro said: “Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city, but the country, and eventually he can destroy the world.”
Perino: He sent the campaign to do a speech across the street from the jury trial. I actually think that they could probably file a lawsuit about that. Because I think it is against the law… and that it’s tampering with the jury pic.twitter.com/QQzjFKtZ2s
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 28, 2024
As seen above, Perino (who is not a lawyer) said that she thinks a lawsuit could “probably” be filed about De Niro’s speech “because I think it is against the law and against the rights of a defendant and the former President and that is tampering with the jury.”
According to New York State law: “a person is guilty of Tampering with a Juror in the First Degree when, with intent to influence the outcome of an action or proceeding, he or she communicates with a juror in such action or proceeding, except as authorized by law.” The jury was inside the courtroom while De Niro spoke to the press outside.
Note: Several elected officials — Republican Senators and Congressmen including House Speaker Mike Johnson — have also spoken to the press across the street from the courthouse during Trump’s trial. Trump, the defendant, has himself given multiple speeches outside the courtroom.