Picking a jury in trial of Trump’s company proves to be challenge

NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s company went on trial Monday in a criminal tax case, and the first task facing the court was a big one: picking a jury of New Yorkers who didn’t have a strong opinion about the former president.

About half of an initial pool of 132 prospective jurors begged off the jury before formal questioning began, with some telling reporters outside the courtroom that they know they couldn't be fair in a trial related to Trump.

Yoke Chai, 60, the lone prospective juror among 18 who orally answered written questions in the afternoon to be excused from the jury pool, said as she left the courtroom that she told lawyers and the judge at a sidebar that she was not sure she could be unbiased in a case involving Trump.

Questioning of the first group of prospective jurors to sit in the jury box was to continue Tuesday morning, with lawyers from each side permitted to ask questions for 30 minutes. After a sufficient number of prospective jurors are screened, lawyers will be allowed to exclude more individuals from the panel to reach the final dozen jurors.

Manhattan prosecutors say the Trump Organization helped top executives avoid income taxes on job perks such as rentfree apartments and luxury cars.

Trump himself isn't on trial and isn't expected to testify. The judge and lawyers in the case were looking to keep people off the jury if they have unshakably strong feelings about the Republican, who isn't liked in his hometown.

“Day 1 in the books,” a pleased William Brennan, one of the Trump Organization’s lawyers, said as he exited the courthouse late Monday afternoon. ”When you boil it all down, it is a garden-variety tax case. And that’s how they should look at it.” Attorney Michael van der Veen, another Trump Organization attorney, said Tuesday would involve “sludging through, really getting down to people's interests and whether they can be fair or not.” He said they hoped to have a jury by Friday.

Judge Juan Manuel Merchan warned all prospective jurors to avoid researching the case on the Internet or talking to anybody about it.

In the morning, he described the case to them and explained that he wants unbiased jurors who will decide the case solely on the evidence. Merchan told the jury pool the trial would last about six weeks, and they should expect during the presentation of evidence to hear Trump’s name and the names of his three eldest children, Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Trump Jr.

The trial is expected to center on the actions and testimony of longtime Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg, who pleaded guilty in August to accepting more than $1.7 million worth of untaxed perks from the company.

If convicted, the company could be fined more than $1 million. A guilty verdict could hamper its ability to get loans and make deals.