Thread by @joshgerstein

At DC federal court this morning...Still in jury selection for Pelosi desk-sitter Richard Barnett....Proud Boys trial jury is chosen but we're in a semi-hiatus as defense lawyers argue, again, for change of venue based on juror bias...also lawyer issues to work through

Carmen Hernandez, lawyer for Proud Boy Zachary Rehl: 'We're getting smacked with the media attention out of Jan.6 committee right as we’re starting trial...This case is a perfect storm of those prejudicial aspects.'

Hernandez: "I have never, never experienced the level of prejudice and ill-will toward a set of defendants....It’s completely out of whack with what we consider due process and fair trial rights...This is worse than anything I have ever experienced."

Hernandez also adds: "I am not a Kraken lawyer."

PB Joe Biggs' lawyer Daniel Hull about DC: 'There must be something in the water here that is new and different...These are dudes who talk like Mr. Rogers, Teletubbies or characters out of Fraggle Rock.' Says he's referring to 'presumably heterosexual white males.'

Prosecutor Erik Kenerson says the indications of bias defense cited were all from potential jurors that are not on the actual jury panel. He did say 1 juror mentioned thinking Proud Boys have 'some vague connection to white supremacy.'

Kenerson says another juror formerly worked on Hill for Republican members.
In light of SCOTUS ruling approving death penalty trial in Boston for Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, defense argue to change venue remains uphill.

And indeed, Judge Timothy Kelly: 'I'm going to deny the motion.'

Kelly: 'Most of the publicity we’ve been talking about in this case has been of the national variety.' He says individual #Jan6 cases typically get more media attention in their home areas than in DC.

Kelly also says the recent #Jan6 committee meeting and report publicity said 'really nothing about' the Proud Boys. 'There were actually…very few potential jurors who indicated they felt so strong about the election that was something we had to probe.'

Hernandez rises after ruling to say prosecution argument was a bit diversionary because defense (which had a lot of peremptory challenges) used them to eliminate the 'worst' or most biased jurors.