Donald Trump seeking to move criminal case to federal court, says lawyer

Donald Trump's lawyer said Thursday the former president will seek to move his New York criminal case to federal court, a long-shot bid to avoid a trial in the state court where the indictment was brought.

Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, said at a hearing on an unrelated issue in the case that Trump's defense team plans to file a motion Thursday asking to transfer the historic case from state court to federal court.

Such a move, while rare, would have significant advantages for Trump, including a broader, more politically diverse jury pool than in Manhattan, where voters have heavily favored his Democratic rivals.

Trump's lawyers face a Thursday deadline to file paperwork listing their grounds for moving the case 30 days after the April 4 state court arraignment where he pleaded not guilty a month ago to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

A federal judge would then have to rule whether the case can be moved.

Trump's charges, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvi