The first seven jurors for Donald Trump’s hush money trial were chosen after a comprehensive review of their social media activity, political beliefs, and personal backgrounds. The selected jurors come from various professions, such as information technology, education, healthcare, sales, software engineering, and law.
Eleven individuals still need to be sworn in before opening statements can begin. This could potentially happen as early as next week.
Trump finds himself in a crucial situation as he has sought to postpone his prosecutions until after the November election, presenting himself as a target of a justice system influenced by political agendas.
The trial brings Trump’s legal matters to the forefront of his closely fought campaign against President Joe Biden. This marks the first of Trump’s four criminal cases to go to trial, and it could potentially be the sole one to reach a verdict before voters decide whether to return him to the Oval Office as commander-in-chief.
The careful process unfolding in the Manhattan courtroom highlights the challenge of finding individuals who can objectively evaluate the controversial defendant in the city where he built his real estate business before becoming president in 2016.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The charges in question are connected to accusations of trying to hinder the publication of what he asserts are fabricated narratives about his private life throughout his 2016 campaign. A few individuals in the jury pool have raised concerns regarding their upcoming plans for Memorial Day and the following days.
The charges pertain to $130,000 in payments made by Trump’s company to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Prosecutors claim that the payments made to Cohen were funneled to Stormy Daniels and improperly documented as legal fees to cover up his affair.
It was a scheme to hide damaging stories that Trump was worried could help his opponent in the 2016 election, particularly given the negative impact of his comments about women at that time. They have charged him with a Class-E felony, which many legal experts feel is excessive.
