steven benjamin is a member of the professional bar association. members include private lawyers and defense counsel and law professors and judges commit today preserving fairness within america's criminal justice system. he has a private practice. he serves as special council to the virginia justice committee and a member of the virginia forensic board and indigent organization. i would like to ask each of you to confine your remarks to five minutes. you know what the red, yellow and green lights mean. without objection, your full written statements will be placed in the record and dr. baker you are first. >> thank you, mr. chairman, ranking member, and members of congress. i have testified twice before and you prec -- thank the committee task force for allowing me to come back. i am coming back on the issue started on which was counting federal crimes. i have to conquer with everything i have heard about the problems of federal courts. i begin with the numbers. numbers are not everything but they tell a story. i want to do three things quickly. t

steven benjamin is a defense attorney. >> this is a momentous trial because it involves someone who was our highest elected political leader, someone who was -- had an absolutely unblemished record. and the last person anyone would think could be corrupted by gifts, by money, by luxury items. >> reporter: prosecutors will try to show the former first couple took more than $150,000 in gifts and loans from wealthy businessman johnny williams in exchange for helping promote his dietary supplement company. mcdonnell says he did nothing wrong. the jurors are being picked from a pool of 150. hours of jury questions began aimed at finding 12 people who will fairly hear the evidence in a case involving one of the commonwealth's most high profile citizens. >> jury selection is very important in a case like this, a case that has received a tremendous amount of publicity and a case that people may feel very strongly about. careful questioning is important. >> reporter: now, one of the questions asked of jurors late this afternoon by the judge, how many of you have heard about this case? everyone s

steven d. benjamin is the president of the national association of criminal defense lawyers. the nacvl is a professional bar association founded in 1958. its members include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, active duty u.s. military, defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness within america's criminal justice system. he's in private practice at the virginia firm of benjamin and deport. >> yes. >> he serves as special counsel to the virginia courts of justice committee and is a member of the slivirginia board science. he previously served the president of the virginia association of criminal defense lawyers. i would like to ask each of you to confine your remarks to five minutes. you know what the red, yellow, and green lights mean. without objection, your full written statements will be placed in the record, and dr. baker, you're first. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i have testified here twice before, and i appreciate -- i have testified here twice before and i thank the committee for task force for allowing me to come back. a

steven d. benjamin is the president of the national association of criminal defense lawyers. the nacdl is a professional bar association founded in 1958. its members include private criminal defense lawyer, public defenders, active duty u.s. military, defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness within america's criminal justice system. he is in private practice at the virginia firm of benjamin and deport. he serves as special counsel to the virginia senate courts of justice committee and is a member of the virginia board of information ren secretaforensic. he previously served as president of the virginia association of criminal defense lawyers. i would like to ask each of you to confine your remarks to five minutes. you know what the red, yellow and graeene lights mean. without objection, your full written statements will placed in the record. lights mean. without objection, your full written statements will placed in the record. to being o doc baker, you're first. >> thank you. i've testified here twice before and i appreciate -- >> turn the

benjamin is ceo of the vetri group. philadelphia? it is veg, you guys, what steven starr has done.ed hot right now. >> absolutely, no doubt. you know, we've been living in the shadow of new york for so long, and now all of a sudden, people are starting to recognize it's not that far. i know you live nearby, we can come down south or come up to new york city where you will cost more, you have to navigate traffic. we're happy to be there. >> why make the trip? sell it to me. >> you have tons of choices. you have a lot of local folks. everyone you mentioned is a local. products are sourced in lancaster county, great farms, great sourcing. we don't have to get stuff from china. >> i'll tell you why also, man, so many new york chefs are moving to philly, because look at danny meyer one of the greatest chefs and entrepreneurs in american restaurant company, priced out of his flagship restaurant in manhattan. i know chefs that go to philadelphia because it's one-fifth the price. they can be more adventurous. >> sure. >> they don't have to do the safe format, where they know they can pay t

steven, this goes right at the issue here, which is the issue of civilian casualties and whether they are avoidable and what situation are they ever receivable. the united states, president after he spoke to benjamin netanyahu. is israel at risk of losing the heart and minds of its allies? and i should say, of this most important jl eye? ally? >> certainly it is. these kinds of casualties, israel i'm sure is going out of its way to minimize them. you can minimize them. you cannot eliminate them. and part of hamas's strategy is to feature these civilian deaths and suffering of the palestinian people on international media as a way it put pressure on the israelis to accept a cease-fire. it is regrettably part of the tactic. >> it is part of the tactic. and yet you hear carl penhall reporting. and leaflets are coming down telli telling people to flee. his point, that they don't have anywhere to go. >> look. gaza is one of the most crowded places on earth. and with gaza city in particular. the density and poverty and despare are just overwhelming. i think as i'm watching these pictures of the little kids who are living in gas why and what they see and how they feel, their theirs mothers feel as they a

steven benjamin is a richmond criminal defense attorney. >> this is a momentous trial because it involves someone who was our highest elected political leader. >> reporter: prosecutors will try to show the former first couple took more than $150,000 in gifts and loans from wealthy businessman johnny williams in exchange for helping promoting his dietary supplement company. mcdonnell says he did nothing wrong. the courtroom was packed with 150 perspective jurors who spent the day answering questions aimed at finding out whether they could be impartial asked have you or your family worked for the state of virginia? have you been charged with a crime? legal teams reveal the witness list, 160 people in total. the prosecution's star witness will likely take the stand early on. legal experts say the case won't rest just on his testimony about the gifts he showered on the mcdonnells. >> the government likes documents and use witnesses like johnny williams to explain what is going on when these things are happening. >> reporter: so again the judge is making every attempt to seat a jury before thi