The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
More Trump trial jurors are rejected
More potential jurors were dismissed from Donald Trump’s hush money case yesterday as lawyers worked for a second day to find a panel of New Yorkers to decide whether the Republican will become the first former US president convicted of a crime.
The first day of the historic trial in Manhattan ended on Monday with no one yet chosen to be on the panel of 12 jurors and six alternates.
In short order yesterday, several others were excused after saying they could not be impartial or because they had other commitments.
Dozens of potential jurors have yet to be questioned.
It is the first of Mr Trump’s four criminal cases to go to trial and may be the only one that could reach a verdict before voters decide in November whether the presumptive Republican presidential nominee should return to the White House.
The trial puts Mr Trump’s legal problems at the centre of the closely contested race against President Joe Biden. Mr Trump paints himself as the victim of a politically motivated justice system working to deprive him of another term.
It also presents a major test for the criminal justice system because the allegations are being viewed through a partisan lens, and Mr Trump’s attacks on prosecutors and the judge threaten to undermine the public’s faith in the courts.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told would-be jurors they could still be fair if they knew about the case or discussed it with friends, they just need to keep an open mind.
“This case has nothing to do with your personal politics. It’s not a referendum on the Trump presidency or a popularity contest or who you’re going to vote for in November. We don’t care. This case is about whether this man broke the law,” he said.
Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of an alleged effort to keep salacious – and, he says, bogus – stories about his sex life from emerging during his 2016 campaign.
Mr Trump arrived at court just before 9am, giving a quick wave to reporters as he headed inside. Before entering court, he stopped briefly to address a TV camera in the hallway, repeating his claim that the judge is biased against him and the case is politically motivated.
“This is a trial that should have never been brought,” Mr Trump said.
After he went inside, reporters saw him wink at one of the court officers and mouth “How are you?” while he walked down the aisle.
Mr Trump then took his seat at the defence table with his lawyers.
With the trial expected to last for six weeks or more, multiple jury pool members brought up plans they have for the Memorial Day holiday and beyond.