Former President Donald Trump made his appearance in a Manhattan criminal court on Monday, signifying the commencement of the historic trial against a former U.S. president.
In April of last year, Trump entered a plea of not guilty to a 34-count indictment. The charges against him involved the falsification of business records related to hush money payments made by his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The alleged purpose of these payments was to enhance Trump’s chances in the 2016 presidential election.
The historic trial began on Monday with the commencement of jury selection, a process that is estimated to last for two weeks. The trial is anticipated to span a duration of six to eight weeks.
Outside the courtroom — and throughout the day on his social media platform Truth Social — the former president expressed his defiance, criticizing the prosecution for their alleged political motivations. However, inside the courtroom, he presented a contrasting demeanor. He reclined in his seat, arms folded, occasionally closing his eyes.
On Monday morning, the courthouse was bustling with hundreds of prospective jurors eagerly awaiting the start of voir dire. However, due to various pretrial procedural matters and scheduling concerns, the process didn’t commence until late afternoon.
Judge Juan M. Merchan started off by rejecting a motion filed by Trump’s legal team, which requested the judge to step down from the case. This was a request that they have made multiple times. Merchan deemed Trump’s insinuations of bias to be unsupported and stated that they would not entertain the matter any further.
Merchan dismissed the argument made by Trump lawyer Todd Blanche that the jury questionnaire had an “asymmetry” that could result in the selection of jurors who were strongly against Trump.
During the trial, there were also discussions about the admissibility of certain evidence. Blanche objected to the inclusion of information about Trump’s interactions with the National Enquirer and his alleged affair with Karen McDougal, dismissing them as mere distractions with no real significance. However, Merchan disagreed and supported the prosecutors’ argument that these details were essential to establish the necessary groundwork for the case. It is important to note that Trump has consistently denied having any involvement with McDougal or Stormy Daniels.
Merchan explained that he made the decision not to play the tape because it was extremely prejudicial. He believed that seeing Mr. Trump on the tape, hearing his words and observing his facial expressions would have a negative impact on the case. As a result, he decided that the tape should not be presented as evidence.
During the trial, prosecutors will have the opportunity to verbally present Trump’s statements from the video.
Prosecutors requested Judge Merchan to hold Trump in contempt and imposed a fine of $3,000 for three purported breaches of the restricted gag order in the case.
Prosecutors stated that the former president’s three posts violated the terms of the limited gag order. The posts were related to potential witnesses Michael Cohen and Daniels, as well as a member of the prosecution team. The gag order specifically prohibits Trump from making public comments about potential witnesses, prospective jurors, lawyers other than Bragg, and the families of both Merchan and Bragg.
The hearing on the matter has been scheduled by Merchan for April 23rd.
At around 2:30 p.m. ET, a group of 96 potential jurors entered the courtroom to commence the selection process. Some of them even craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the former president, while one person giggled and raised her eyebrows. As Merchan introduced the case, the former president turned towards the gallery and offered a tight-lipped smile.
Over half of the potential jury members were dismissed after acknowledging that they couldn’t impartially judge the case. The rest of the pool underwent additional questioning, which covered their occupations, hobbies, preferred news sources, and any biases they might have towards Trump that could potentially influence their judgment unfairly. Two witnesses were disqualified, including a man who claimed that the trial would disrupt his child’s wedding.
During the questionnaire, a bookstore employee residing in the Upper West Side expressed his thoughts on the criminal justice system as a potential juror.
He stated that he firmly believes that no one, regardless of their position, is exempt from the law.
The juror in question was dismissed, resulting in no jurors being selected for the trial on Monday.
The court wrapped up for the day shortly after 4:30 p.m., and jury selection is set to resume on Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m.