Donald IN THE dock
Trump first President to face criminal trial..over sex claims
ALL eyes will be on New York today as Donald Trump becomes the first US President ever to face a criminal trial.
In the same dingy courtroom where John Lennon’s killer Mark Chapman admitted murder in 1980, jury selection will begin.
If guilty, Trump could be jailed for up to five years, in a case that will shake the foundations of not only US politics but its history, too.
The 77-year-old is in the dock accused of arranging hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen Mcdougal. They claim they slept with the millionaire as his wife Melania was at home recovering after giving birth to their son.
The landmark legal battle brought by New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg thrusts the former US leader, one of the most polarising figures in modern history, and his tumultuous reign back into the spotlight. In doing so, it raises deep questions about presidential accountability, the rule of law, and the legacy of the Trump era. His trial is the culmination of a case that has been hotly contested since it was unveiled last spring. After months of legal scheming, including three long-shot appeal attempts last week, the level of media scrutiny has been compared to the trial of the late OJ Simpson nearly three decades ago.
This is no murder trial but it still has sensational elements.
Trump’s fate hangs in the balance as he faces 34 counts of falsifying business records to try to hide a sexual encounter he is alleged to have had with Daniels, who he met in 2006.
He denies all charges and having had sex with either woman.
Here, we look at the Trump trial’s major players and what a conviction could bring after one of the most sensational US hearings.