Trump’s Trial Day 1: No Jurors Selected, Judge Warns Of Jail

Trump has entered a plea of not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records. Prosecutors argue that the alleged fraud was aimed at preventing sensational — and, according to Trump, unfounded — stories about his personal life from surfacing during his 2016 campaign.

The charges revolve around $130,000 in payments made by Trump’s company to Cohen. This sum was paid on Trump’s behalf to prevent Daniels from publicly disclosing her claims of a decade-old sexual encounter with the married businessman, just a month before the election.

Prosecutors allege that the payments to Cohen were falsely categorized as legal fees to conceal their true purpose. Trump’s legal team contends that these disbursements were indeed legitimate expenses, not an attempt to cover up any wrongdoing.

After decades of engaging in and initiating legal battles, the former businessman turned politician now finds himself facing a trial that could potentially lead to a prison sentence of up to four years if he is found guilty, though a non-custodial sentence is also a possibility. Trump would likely appeal any conviction.

Attempts to bury the case dismissed

Trump’s lawyers were unsuccessful in their attempt to have the hush-money case dismissed and have since made numerous efforts to delay proceedings, resulting in a series of last-minute appeals court hearings last week.

Among other arguments, Trump’s legal team asserts that the jury pool in predominantly Democratic Manhattan has been influenced by negative media coverage of Trump and contends that the trial should be moved to a different location

An appeals judge denied an emergency request to postpone the trial while a request for a change of venue is reviewed by a panel of appellate judges, who are expected to consider it in the coming weeks.

Manhattan prosecutors argue that much of the publicity surrounding the case stems from Trump’s own remarks and assert that questioning during jury selection will help determine whether potential jurors can set aside any preconceived notions they may have. Prosecutors contend that there is no reason to believe that 12 fair and impartial individuals cannot be found among Manhattan’s approximately 1.4 million adult residents.

Prospective jurors will be identified only by number, as the judge has ordered that their names be kept confidential from everyone except prosecutors, Trump, and their legal teams. The 42 preapproved questions, some of which are multi-faceted, cover basic background information while also addressing the unique aspects of the case.

Among other inquiries, prospective jurors are being questioned about their hobbies and news consumption habits, whether they harbor strong opinions about Trump that would hinder impartiality, and whether they have attended Trump or anti-Trump rallies.

Based on the responses, attorneys can request that a judge dismiss individuals “for cause” if they meet specific criteria for being unable to serve or remain unbiased. Additionally, lawyers have the option to utilize “peremptory challenges” to dismiss up to 10 potential jurors and two alternate jurors without providing a justification.

“If you’re going to strike everybody who’s either a Republican or a Democrat,” the judge observed at a February hearing, “you’re going to run out of peremptory challenges very quickly.”