Trump landmark criminal trial opens in New York
Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial opened yesterday in a historic first for a US ex-president and a seismic twist to an already explosive 2024 presidential election where the Republican is seeking to defy multiple scandals and return to power.
Lawyers for both sides wrangled with Judge Juan Merchan over what evidence could be admitted as Trump, shoulders hunched, stared sternly straight ahead or looked down at the computer alongside his legal team.
Jury selection will follow, but given the notoriety of the case it could take as much as two weeks for defense lawyers and prosecutors to agree on the panel of 12 jurors.
Wearing his trademark red tie, white shirt and blue suit, Trump struck a defiant tone on arrival at the gritty Manhattan courthouse, telling a throng of journalists that his trial was an “assault on America.”
Outside, at a small but noisy proTrump protest, the former commander in chief's supporters shouted obscenities about President Joe Biden and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the lead prosecutor.
One Trump backer flew a flag proclaiming “Trump or death.”
The 77-year-old is accused of falsifying business records in a scheme to cover up an alleged extramarital sexual encounter with adult film actress Stormy
Daniels to shield his 2016 election campaign from a last-minute upheaval.
The so-called hush money affair is one of four criminal cases hanging over Trump, including historic prosecutions against the Republican’s alleged attempts
to subvert the 2020 election and prevent the winner, Biden, from taking office.
If convicted in the hush money case, Trump would potentially face years in prison, but legal observers consider this unlikely. (AFP)