If Trump testifies, he may be questioned on his legal losses

Opening statements in criminal trial expected Monday.

NEW YORK — The pace of former President Donald Trump’s first criminal trial has been faster than expected. Opening statements in the case are expected Monday.

Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records in an attempt to cover up a payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn actor who has said they had a sexual encounter in 2006. Prosecutors have said he did so to better his chances of winning election. He has denied the charges; he could face probation or prison if convicted.

Here are takeaways from the first week:

We have our jury

We have a panel of 12 Manhattanites who comprise the jury, and six alternates, who will hear the evidence and may be called upon to step in if jurors are excused or disqualified.

It is a diverse bunch, both in their neighborhoods and professions: a Harlem educator, a Chelsea tech worker, a product manager from upper Manhattan. The alternates who were added Friday included a fashion worker from Chinatown, an information technology specialist from Inwood and an unemployed woman from Murray Hill.

Trump is almost out of options to stall

Trump’s prevailing legal tactic has always been to delay, delay, delay. But Friday, Trump’s efforts to forestall next week’s opening statements and subsequent testimony seemed to be running out of gas.

As jury selection concluded, Trump was losing a bid in an appeals court to pause the proceedings while a full panel of the court could consider a motion to move the trial out of Manhattan.

Justice Juan Merchan also seemed done with efforts to stall the case further, telling defense attorneys in no uncertain terms that he was proceeding with the case Monday.

Prosecutors seek permission to confront Trump with his legal losses

Trump has said he wants to take the stand, saying he wants to “tell the truth” and that the prosecution has “no case.” But if he does testify, he will open himself to questions from prosecutors, who cannot otherwise compel him to speak.

On Friday, Merchan held a hearing over what topics prosecutors could question Trump on were he to testify, including a civil fraud trial in which the New York attorney general won $454 million from the former president after proving he had conspired with others to inflate his net worth. Prosecutors are also asking to bring up a civil jury’s finding last year that Trump was liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll.

Emil Bove, a lawyer for Trump, said introducing questions about the civil fraud trial would take the criminal trial down a “rabbit hole” and confuse jurors.

Merchan said he would rule Monday, presumably before opening statements.