Jury selection begins
NEW YORK: The judge in Donald Trump’s trial dismissed dozens of potential New York City jurors yesterday who said they could not fairly decide whether the Republican presidential candidate illegally covered up a hush money payment to a porn star.
On the first day of the historic criminal trial, the first to involve a former United States president, Justice Juan Merchan told nearly 100 prospective jurors they must set aside any biases or personal attitudes about the defendant or the case, including ‘‘political orientation’’.
At least 50 were dismissed after saying they could not be impartial in judging Trump.
‘‘I just couldn’t do it,’’ one prospective juror was heard to say outside the courtroom.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, has charged Trump with falsifying records to cover up a $130,000 payment in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels about a 2006 sexual encounter she has said they had.
Trump has denied any such relationship with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty.
Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen has testified he made the payment to buy Daniels’ silence ahead of the 2016 election, in which Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Lawyers from both sides seek to impanel 12 jurors and six alternates for what could be the only criminal case Trump faces before the November election.
Choosing a jury from a pool of people from heavily Democratic Manhattan could take several days, to be followed by opening statements and testimony from witnesses including Cohen and Daniels. — Reuters