By JENNIFER PELTZ, MICHAEL R. SISAK, JAKE OFFENHARTZ and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — Attorneys worked on Friday to complete the group of 12 jurors and six alternates who will listen to Donald Trump’s hush money trial. At the same time, the former president criticized a gag order that has led to prosecutors seeking to hold him in contempt of court.
After a group of 12 New Yorkers was selected on Thursday , attorneys focused on choosing alternates who can promise to fairly judge the presumed Republican presidential nominee. Thursday’s events showed that the jury selection process in such a high-profile case is unpredictable, as two jurors who had been chosen a day earlierwere removed from the panel. The judge has indicated that opening statements could start as soon as Monday, before prosecutors present their case.
accusing Trump of a plan to hide negative stories that he feared would damage his 2016 presidential campaign. The trial will bring Trump to a Manhattan courtroom for several weeks, where he will have to balance his dual role as a defendant and political candidate
amidst his closely contested race against President Joe Biden. The trial will include scandalous and unflattering testimony, which his opponent will likely use to portray Trump as unfit to return as president. Trump claims he did nothing wrong and has portrayed himself as a victim of a politically motivated justice system that is trying to prevent him from returning to the White House. The judge and attorneys have spent days questioning New Yorkers about their opinions of Trump, and many have been dismissed for admitting they couldn’t be impartial. Those selected to hear the case so far include a sales professional, a software engineer, a security engineer, an English teacher, a speech therapist, multiple lawyers, an investment banker, and a retired wealth manager.
As more potential jurors were interviewed on Friday, Trump seemed to lean over at the defense table, writing on some papers and passing notes with one of his lawyers.
He occasionally perked up and looked at the jury box, especially when a potential juror mentioned that he had volunteered for a “get out the vote” effort for Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Another potential juror caught Trump’s attention when he said that he follows the White House Instagram account, including during Trump’s time in office. Trump smiled at a man who was asked if he was married and joked about trying to find a wife in his free time, but “it’s not working.”
One potential juror was excused after admitting that she didn’t believe she could be impartial. Another person told the judge that she had no strong feelings about Trump and didn’t think anything would influence her decision in the case.
Upon arriving at the courthouse on Friday, Trump expressed frustration with the judge’s gag order, which limits what he can publicly say about witnesses. He has criticized the judge, prosecutors, and likely witnesses on social media, leading the district attorney’s office to seek sanctions for
his comments.
possible violations of the order to not speak publicly. The judge plans to have a hearing next week to discuss the prosecutors’ request to hold Trump in contempt. “The order to not speak publicly needs to be lifted. People can talk about me, but I'm not allowed to, due to the order,” Trump stated.
Judge Juan M. Merchan is also expected to have a hearing Friday to consider a request from prosecutors to bring up Trump’s previous legal issues if he testifies in the hush money case. Manhattan prosecutors want to question Trump about his recent civil fraud trial that resulted in a
$454 million decision after a judge found Trump had been untruthful about his wealth for a long time. He is appealing that decision. The case focuses on a $130,000 payment that
Michael Cohen , Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer, made to porn actor Stormy Daniels to prevent her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump from becoming public in the final days of the 2016 race.Prosecutors allege that Trump concealed the true nature of the payments in internal records when his company reimbursed Cohen, who admitted guilt to federal charges in 2018 and is expected to be a key witness for the prosecution.
Trump has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels, and his lawyers argue that the payments to Cohen were valid legal expenses.
Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He could face up to four years in prison if found guilty, although it’s uncertain whether the judge would choose to imprison him. Trump would almost certainly appeal any conviction.
Trump is implicated in
four criminal cases , but it’s uncertain whether any others will go to trial before the November election. Appeals and legal disputes have caused delays in the other three cases charging Trump withplanning to overturn the 2020 election results illegally hoarding classified documents and with Richer reported from Washington..
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Attorneys are working to complete the panel of 12 jurors and six alternates who will hear Donald Trump’s hush money trial. If jury selection is finished on Friday, it could pave the way for opening statements as soon as Monday. Following his arrival at the courthouse, the former president criticized the order prohibiting him from speaking publicly, which has led to prosecutors seeking to hold him in contempt of court. Once a jury of 12 New Yorkers was selected Thursday, lawyers have turned their focus to choosing alternates who can promise to set aside their personal opinions and impartially judge the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
