A 12-person jury has been sworn in for ex-President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in a New York court. This sets the stage for arguments that could begin as early as Monday, says the BBC. The trial is about Trump’s alleged payment of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an affair she had with him before the 2016 elections.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying accounts to cover up the alleged payment of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels. The payments were routed through his former lawyer who has since turned against him.
The former president left the courtroom and showed journalists several media articles that were critical of the charges. He said the charges were political, adding that “It’s a very unfair, very bad thing. The whole world is watching this hoax.”
Jury selection passed off fairly smoothly with only two potential jurors being excused by the judge. One doubted her ability to be fair and unbiased while another was found to have a criminal history and lied about it.
The judge plans to have five alternate jurors with final selection to be done later on Friday.
The jury selection process also enables the defence and prosecution to question each juror on their biases if any, whether they had any relation or link to anybody involved in the case and to remind the jurors about their responsibilities to the court.
The judge has made it clear that journalists cannot report on the physical appearance of any of the jury members or their employment history. This is to guard against any attempt to influence them or intimidate them.
Trump’s trial is taking place at a time when he is campaigning to replace Democrat President Joe Biden in the November elections. A criminal trial of this kind could adversely impact on his campaign and may make up voters’ minds well before voting day.
