Former President Donald Trump was critical of the jury selection process for his so-called “hush-money” trial, suggesting the judge should give his defense lawyers more opportunities to strike would-be jurors from the process.
Since Monday, dozens of jurors filed into the Manhattan courtroom where President Trump has been standing trial in the case. Prosecutors allege he falsified business payments to cover up unfavorable news stories during the 2016 election. The jury selection process went on all day Tuesday, with seven jurors being chosen.
There will be no trial dates on Wednesday. On Thursday, the former president will have to return to court in the criminal case.
Responding to the jury selection process, President Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday morning: “I thought STRIKES were supposed to be ‘unlimited’ when we were picking our jury? I was then told we only had 10, not nearly enough when we were purposely given the 2nd Worst Venue in the Country. Don’t worry, we have the First Worst also, as the Witch Hunt continues!”
The former president was likely referring to the voter base in Manhattan. During the 2020 election, voters in the city overwhelmingly cast ballots in favor of President Joe Biden, with only about 12 percent voting for President Trump.
Some legal analysts have said that it will be difficult for the former president to get a fair trial in New York City due to the Democrat-leaning jury pool.
Last year, retired Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz said there is “no chance” President Trump could be acquitted in Manhattan. “I don’t care if Jesus, Muhammad, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Thurgood Marshall defended Trump in New York, he wouldn’t win this case. Hung jury? Maybe. Acquittal? Never,” Mr. Dershowitz said.
On Monday, when Justice Juan Merchan asked 96 prospective jurors if they couldn’t be fair and impartial in the trial, more than half of them raised their hands. They were then dismissed.
Near the courthouse, a pro-Trump demonstrator, Steve Merczynski of Manhattan, told the Wall Street Journal that it’s unlikely fellow Manhattan residents would give the former president a fair trial. “There is so much peer pressure on the community here,” he noted.
In this case, the former president faces 34 charges of allegedly falsifying business payments during the 2016 election, namely for paying his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to bury allegations that could harm his presidential campaign at the time. Mr. Cohen said he paid adult actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, to keep quiet about an alleged affair that occurred in the mid-2000s, which President Trump has repeatedly denied.
As he entered the court on Tuesday, President Trump described Justice Merchan as a “Trump-hating” judge who “shouldn’t be on this case.” His lawyers have attempted to get the judge to recuse himself from the case, but the judge on Monday said he would not.
Justice Merchan also told President Trump that he will have to show up in court every day and remain under a gag order, which the judge imposed several weeks ago at the prosecution’s behest. The former president was initially banned from making comments about Mr. Cohen, Ms. Clifford, or other potential witnesses under the order before the judge expanded it to include members of his family.
President Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges, asserting that it’s part of a longstanding and widespread effort to prevent him from being reelected. Earlier this week, President Trump wrote on Truth Social and told reporters that being in court every day will limit his campaign, noting that he won’t be able to visit potential battleground states with just months to go before the November election.
The trial is expected to last upwards of eight weeks. Of that, the jury selection process could last as long as two weeks, analysts speculate.
The New York case is one of four criminal prosecutions the former president faces. The other cases stem from his alleged mishandling of classified information and activity after the 2020 election.
He has pleaded not guilty to those charges, too, although it’s not clear whether the three cases will make it to trial before November.
The federal election case was placed on hold by a Washington-based judge as the appeals process plays out. In the documents case in Florida, the federal judge has yet to reschedule a new trial date.
In Georgia, the former president has appealed state election-related charges in Fulton County, putting that case on hold. It came amid allegations that the Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis, engaged in inappropriate behavior that the defendants say should have led to her dismissal.
