Former US President Donald Trump attends the second day of his trial on charges that he concealed hush money payments related to an affair in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on April 16, 2024.
Mary Altafer | AFP | Getty Images
The first seven jurors in Donald Trump’s New York hush-money trial were seated Tuesday, with Judge Juan Machan expecting opening statements to begin Monday morning.
Five more jurors and six more alternates must be selected. But jury selection is moving faster than many legal experts expected and could take up to two weeks, he said.
A selection of people, including a salesman, an oncology nurse, a lawyer, an IT consultant, a teacher, a software engineer, and a civil litigator, will face the first-ever criminal trial against a former U.S. president.
After the trial adjourned on Tuesday evening, Mr. Trump complained outside the courtroom that Mr. Marchand was “rushing this trial.”
The charges against Trump are related to a scheme to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Her lawyer at the time paid the price to prevent Daniels from disclosing her alleged sexual liaison with President Trump years ago.
On Tuesday afternoon, before the first group of jurors were selected, Marchan warned them not to intimidate jurors as President Trump could be heard speaking to potential jurors.
“I won’t allow that to happen,” the judge said after potential jurors left the courtroom. “I do not seek to intimidate jurors in this courtroom. I want to make this clear.”
“While the juror was approximately 12 feet away from my client, I could hear the juror saying something to her,” Marchan told Trump’s lawyers.
“He was gesticulating,” the judge said.
“Please take a moment and talk to your client,” Marchand told the defense team.
Later, Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, whispered something to him, and the former president gestured that he understood what was being said.
President Trump’s remarks to the jury were incomprehensible to an NBC News reporter in the courtroom.
The judge said Trump was “tweeting.”
Marchand’s warning came after potential jurors were questioned about social media posts in which Trump’s lawyers claimed Marchand was attending a 2020 election result celebration.
When asked about the post, a female juror said she was celebrating health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic. She could be fair, she insisted.
Machan said he appears to have allowed her to remain in the jury selection process for the time being because he deemed her trustworthy.
The potential juror, identified only by a number in court, was one of 18 people questioned by prosecutors and defense attorneys on Tuesday as part of the jury selection process known as “voir d’ire.”
On Monday, more than 50 prospective jurors were immediately excused because of their admitted bias against Trump. This was more than half of the original panel of 96 prospective jurors invited to court that day.
More potential jurors were dismissed Tuesday morning on the grounds that it would be unfair to try the former president.
In this courtroom sketch, former President Donald Trump sits while his attorney Todd Blanche speaks during the second day of jury selection in his hush money criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, USA on April 16, 2024. is shown in the photo.
Christine Cornell Reuter
“I don’t think it’s going to be as fair and impartial as I thought it would be,” one prospective juror said before being excused. The remaining eight employees were fired Tuesday morning, including several who said they could not be fair to President Trump.
The removal underscores the challenges of prosecuting a polarizing Republican presidential nominee in New York City.
Still, Tuesday’s hearing appeared to be moving faster than expected. And before the court adjourned Tuesday afternoon, Marchan swore to continue his proceedings with another panel of 96 prospective jurors. The group is scheduled to return to court Thursday morning.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accused Trump of trying to influence the 2016 election by buying Daniels’ silence, saying she had only one sexual encounter with him in July 2006. did. Trump denied having a sexual relationship with Daniels at the time. It’s been four months since his wife Melania Trump gave birth to her youngest son, Barron Trump.
On Tuesday, shortly before entering court, Trump defended payments to his former personal attorney Michael Cohen who helped orchestrate the hush-money scheme. Mr. Bragg has accused Mr. Trump of mistakenly repaying Mr. Cohen in monthly installments for legal fees he paid in 2017.
President Trump said, “I paid a lawyer and I recorded it as a legal expense. An accountant that I don’t know recorded it as a legal expense. That’s exactly what happened.” “So you’re going to be prosecuted?”
President Trump also slammed Marchand, calling him a “Trump-hating judge” who “shouldn’t be involved in this case.”
On Monday, when Mr. Trump’s lawyers asked Mr. Marchand to adjust the trial schedule so that Mr. Trump could attend to other personal and legal matters, they received a frosty response.
These events include a Supreme Court hearing on a request for presidential immunity in a separate criminal case and Mr. Barron’s high school graduation.
Machan did not deny these requests outright, but he did not grant them immediately.
The trial is expected to last approximately six weeks, with hearings occurring four days a week.
Trump will have to appear in court throughout the trial, which could disrupt his presidential campaign plans.
