Trump’s Hush Money Trial: Jury Selection Completed Amid Tense Court Day
TL/DR –
The jury selection process for former President Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial has been completed, with the panel consisting of seven men and five women. At the same time, a man set himself on fire outside the courthouse, resulting in an intense day in court and several jurors being excused due to anxiety. Former President Trump’s trial is the first-ever criminal trial of a former president, with prosecutors alleging that Trump falsified records to hide money paid to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to reimburse him for a payment made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Man Sets Himself on Fire as Jury Selection Concludes for Trump’s Trial
A man ignited himself on fire outside the New York City courthouse on Friday, coinciding with the conclusion of jury selection for former President Donald Trump‘s New York hush money trial, according to an eyewitness.
The incident culminated an intense day in the courtroom, with two jurors breaking down and three excused due to anxiety about the case. The individual’s condition is currently unknown.
Judge Juan Merchan announced the final selection of the six alternate jurors, who will join the panel of 12 jurors, marking the first criminal trial of a former president. The trial is set to commence Monday.
Selected jurors include an art enthusiast, an audio professional, a contract specialist, a clothing company executive and a construction company project manager. Potential jurors were questioned regarding their ability to remain impartial towards the controversial real estate mogul and presumptive Republican nominee for president.
The initial potential juror was dismissed due to her claims of severe anxiety. Later, two potential jurors were dismissed after expressing doubts about their impartiality.
Other potential jurors included a married father who follows a podcast called “Order of Man”, and a fund manager who volunteered for Hillary Clinton, Trump’s 2016 presidential opponent.
Trump seemed to show interest in jurors with ambiguous political views. When one potential juror mentioned that they watch Fox News, Trump quickly conferred with his lawyer, Todd Blanche.
Despite the intense selection process, Trump complained about the case being “unfair”, objecting to the partial gag order that prevents him from criticizing witnesses, prosecutors, court staffers and jurors. Prosecutors have requested the judge to fine Trump and hold him in contempt for violating this gag order through social media posts.
The 12-member jury comprises seven men and five women, including two lawyers, a teacher, a retired wealth manager, a product development manager, a software engineer, a speech therapist and a physical therapist.
Prosecutors aim to question Trump about several items, such as the $464 million civil judgment against him for fraud, the total $88 million verdicts for sexual abuse and defamation in lawsuits by writer E. Jean Carroll, and other adverse court rulings over the past few years.
Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, is accused of hiding money he paid to former lawyer Michael Cohen for reimbursing $130,000 to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The District Attorney’s office further alleges that National Enquirer publisher American Media Inc. paid $150,000 to model Karen McDougal in exchange for her silence about an alleged relationship with Trump. Trump denies having a sexual relationship with McDougal.
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