Lawyers: Keep Trump University videos secret

Donald Trump’s lawyers are escalating pressure to keep the billionaire’s taped testimony on Trump University private, according to a new report.

Trump’s attorneys argued in a court filing late Wednesday that publicly releasing the videos could impact the White House race, according to Politico.

{mosads}“If made public, these deposition videos will be widely disseminated in the media,” they wrote in a motion filed with U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel in San Diego.

“Owing to the danger that a video may create in eliciting bias on the part of its viewer, the Court has a duty to prevent their disclosure because they can taint the jury pool. Undoubtedly, these videos will also be used by the media and others in connection with the presidential campaign.”

Wednesday’s filing lists Trump’s lawyers as Daniel M. Petrocelli, David Kirman and Jill Martin. Petrocelli and Kirman represent the O’Melveny & Myers law firm, while Martin is an in-house Trump lawyer.

Trump’s legal team said media scrutiny over the businessman’s Oval Office bid could undermine his odds for a fair trial.

“The need to prevent such ‘sensationalism’ is particularly acute here because of Mr. Trump’s unique circumstances in running for president of the United States,” their filing said.

Politico reported on Thursday that the filing cited multiple examples of courts keeping videotaped depositions involving sitting presidents private.

Examples include Paula Jones’s sexual harassment suit against former President Clinton, it added, and former President Reagan’s role in the criminal prosecution of national security adviser John Poindexter.

“These same cautions and concerns apply with full force here to a presidential candidate whose every move is being covered by the media,” their filing said of Trump, the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee.

Curiel is overseeing three lawsuits that allege Trump University defrauded students and saddled them with debt.

Trump has repeatedly touted positive reviews from other participants, saying courts will ultimately vindicate the for-profit real estate program.

He also inspired national outrage late last month for suggesting Curiel’s “Mexican heritage” may make the judge biased against him. Curiel was born in Indiana and is the son of Mexican immigrants.