The first seven jurors selected in Trump’s hush-money criminal trial

The first seven jurors selected Tuesday will serve Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trialas the selection process continues to select a panel of 12 members and 6 alternates who can do justice to the former President of the United States.

The judge also warned attorneys that he would not tolerate any intimidation of potential jurors after he said Trump, the Republican presidential nominee in the Nov. 5 election, muttered loudly when a potential jury member was questioned.

Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records Covering up hush-money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. Daniels said she had a sexual encounter with Trump about a decade ago.

Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied that the conflict took place. He called the case, brought by Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a partisan “witch hunt” aimed at disrupting his campaign to unseat Democratic President Joe Biden.

The hush-money case is one of four criminal indictments Trump faces, which also stem from attempts to overturn his 2020 losses and allegations of alleged mishandling of classified information. He has also pleaded not guilty to the charges, but the other three cases may not go to trial before the election.

The seven jurors selected Tuesday include a man from Ireland who likes to do “anything outdoors” while watching MSNBC and Fox News, and a man who works as an oncology nurse and likes to take her dog to the park of women, as well as a corporate lawyer, who said he doesn’t pay much attention to the news.

The nurse, questioned by Trump attorney Todd Branch earlier Tuesday, said she did not have a strong opinion against Trump.
But, she said, “No one is above the law.”

Jury selection began on Monday and is scheduled to resume Thursday after a day off on Wednesday. Judge Juan Merchan said opening statements could take place next Monday but warned that could be delayed.

Trump wants a ‘fair shake’

The process so far has highlighted the challenges of selecting an impartial set of jurors from heavily Democratic Manhattan. More than half of the 96 jurors initially called were dismissed on Monday after saying they did not believe they could be fair.

Asked by some who remained Tuesday, Branch said he didn’t care about the jurors’ political views but wanted to know whether they could be fair to Trump personally.

“It’s very important to President Trump that we know we’re going to be treated fairly,” the lawyer said.

Jurors are anonymous except for Trump and lawyers from both sides.

Several prospective jurors said they had no strong opinions about Trump or that their opinions were irrelevant to the case.

“I’d love to tell you if we were sitting at a bar,” said one jury candidate who works in a bookstore and enjoys going to Broadway shows. “But it doesn’t matter how I feel about President Trump in this room.”

Merchian ultimately dismissed the juror.

Earlier Tuesday, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joshua Stanglass said during questioning of jurors that the case was not a referendum on Trump’s presidency.

“This case really has nothing to do with whether you like Donald Trump or not,” Stanglass said. “This case is about the rule of law and whether Donald Trump violated it.”

“I won’t tolerate this”

While jurors were outside the courtroom, Merchin told attorneys for both sides that Trump had been mumbling and gesticulating while a prospective juror was being questioned. The judge ordered Trump’s attorney, Branch, to speak with his client about his conduct.

“I will not tolerate this,” the judge said. “I will not allow any juror to be intimidated in the courtroom.”

Trump, who has often tested the tolerance of judges in his recent legal woes, is currently subject to a gag order imposed by Silk Money. It bars Trump from making statements about witnesses, court staff and family members aimed at intervening in the case.

On Monday, prosecutors asked Murchin to fine Trump $1,000 for each of three social media posts he made this month that criticized Daniels and Michael Cohen. Cohen, a former Trump fixer, is expected to be a key witness in the trial.

Branch said the former president was simply responding to their criticism of him.

Merchan said he would consider the fine on April 23.