Former President Donald Trump’s (R) hush money trial has gotten off to a rocky start as the court struggles to find jurors for the much-discussed case. Over the course of two days, several of the jurors were dismissed for their inability to be impartial to Trump.
“You are about to participate in a trial by jury. The system of trial by jury is one of the cornerstones of our judicial system. The name of this case is the People of the State of New York vs. Donald Trump,” said Judge Juan Merchan to the 96 jurors.
On the first day of the trial, one of the members was stated to have “Yes” after Judge Merchan asked her if she had “strong opinions” on the former president. Others were dismissed for reasons ranging from bias to unavailability because of their child getting married.
On the second day of the trial, however, many jurors were dismissed for different reasons. One dismissed juror stated that they had read two of Trump’s books. Another claimed that their wife’s family were lobbyists for the Republican party.
Some jurors expressed self-doubt on whether they could be impartial in the case.
“I’m not sure that I can say beyond a reasonable doubt that I can be fair. I can try. But I’m not 100% sure I can be fair,” said the dismissed juror.
Trump is charged with falsifying business records and using his former attorney Michael Cohen to send “hush money” to Stormy Daniels—a former adult film actress--before the 2016 election. The jury selection for the case is set for April 15.
“It’s a scam. It’s a political witch hunt. It continues, and it continues forever,” said Trump in reference to the trial. “This is political persecution. This is a persecution like never before.”
Trump’s multiple gripes with the trial have not resulted in any changes to his case. Instead, he has faced punishment for his unrelenting bashing of the judge’s daughter.
Because of his actions, Merchan recently enforced a limited gag order to stop Trump from attacking family members of the court or potential witnesses. That said, because of Trump’s actions, some of the prosecutors have asked the judge to clarify the order.
Nevertheless, the trial has been a whirlwind, despite being only two days in.
