Former President Donald Trump had a good laugh on Thursday when a court mentioned a close encounter involving him and his ex-wife Marla Maples.
During the third day of jury selection in his hush-money criminal trial in New York City, Trump was seen chuckling. These proceedings mark the beginning of four anticipated criminal trials for the ex-president. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintains that he is a victim of a political “witch hunt.”
During court proceedings, a retired university administrator residing in Greenwich Village shared her familiarity with Donald Trump. She mentioned having read his book, “The Art of the Deal,” and even recalled seeing him on a shopping trip accompanied by his former spouse, Maples, whom he was married to between 1993 and 1999.
“I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York,” the juror shared, reminiscing about a memorable encounter with Donald Trump. “I once saw him and Marla Maples shopping for baby things,” the juror added, causing a burst of laughter from Trump.
According to the jury candidate, she has two cousins who have lived in a Trump property and even witnessed one being constructed. They both had positive reviews about the building’s construction. However, the candidate mentioned that her personal opinions of the former president may not be as favorable.
“My cousin actually moved into the Trump building,” she shared. “In fact, I also had another cousin who lived just across the street from the construction site. Interestingly, they had nothing but positive feedback about the construction process. However, it’s worth mentioning that my personal opinion about him as a president is quite different.”
The prospective juror was not among the 12 individuals who were later sworn in to serve on the jury.
Trump’s legal team utilized a peremptory strike to eliminate the candidate from consideration. This procedure grants defense attorneys and prosecutors the ability to dismiss a select number of jurors without providing any explanation.
During the selection of the 12 jurors for the historic criminal trial of a former or current U.S. president, the process of choosing the necessary six alternates remains incomplete as of Thursday. So far, only one alternate has been selected.
Justice Juan Merchan, the presiding judge for the trial in the New York State Supreme Court, expressed his hope that the five remaining alternate jurors would be selected by Friday. These five alternates will be chosen from a group of 22 potential jurors.
Two jurors who had been selected on Tuesday were dismissed from the jury earlier on Thursday.
The juror’s impartiality came into question when she revealed that her identity details, which were disclosed in the media, led to her family members discovering her role on the jury.
The other individual was dismissed from the case due to concerns raised by prosecutors regarding the veracity of his previous statements. They also suggested that he had been arrested in the 1990s for tearing down political posters.
According to Merchan, the trial will commence with the prosecution’s case, and opening arguments could potentially begin on Monday. Trump is being charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.