Everything Don the line for ex President
IN THE dingy New York courthouse where John Lennon’s killer pleaded guilty to murder Donald Trump is today set to become the first US President to face a criminal trial.
In a case set to shake the foundations of not only American politics but its history too, jury selection will get underway in the businessman’s alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Trump is accused of paying off the women who claim they slept with the millionaire as his wife, Melania, was at home recovering from giving birth to their son.
The landmark legal battle brought by New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg thrusts the former US leader and his tumultuous presidency back into the spotlight.
Perhaps most significantly, the trial has far-reaching implications for presidential accountability and the integrity of the office.
Accused of orchestrating a scheme to silence two women who claimed to have had affairs with him, Trump will be adjudged by 12 jurors.
Before selection, they will be asked about their knowledge of Trump and their own political persuasions.
The trial is expected to last up to 6 weeks. Trump faces 34 felony 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.
The former President denies the charges and having had sex with her, but if found guilty, he could be jailed for up to five years.
Here, we look at the trial’s major players and what a conviction could bring.
THE ALLEGATIONS AND WHAT’S AT STAKE: and McDougal, as well as former Trump aides Madeline Westerhout and Hope Hicks.
IN THE HOT SEAT: JUDGE
JUAN MERCHAN
Judge Juan Manuel Merchan is poised to take the historic hushmoney prosecution of the former president himself.
Merchan has already imposed a strict gag order against Trump after the businessman openly attacked those involved in his trial, leading to death threats being made against him by Trump’s MAGA supporters.