Donald Trump received a sharp rebuke Tuesday from the jurist presiding over his hush-money criminal trial, with the judge warning that he would “not intimidate jurors in this courtroom.”
Trump’s apparent misconduct did not prevent the trial from proceeding. By the end of the day, seven jurors had been selected.
Judge Juan Melchan’s comments came shortly after jury selection resumed after lunch. Trump’s team discovered a video on social media of one potential juror showing him celebrating Trump’s loss in the 2020 election in the street.
Ms. Marchand, who was called in to answer questions about the matter, spoke directly to Mr. Trump’s lawyers as she left. “I could hear your client,” Marchan said, noting that she was only 12 feet from him.
“I heard him. He was gesticulating and talking to the jury,” Marchand said, arguing that such behavior was unacceptable.
“We will not intimidate jurors in this courtroom,” Marchan warned. “Please take a moment to talk to your client.”
Marchand’s warning to Trump marked a significant departure from the relatively routine jury selection process.
Trump arrived at a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday morning for the second day of jury selection in a landmark criminal trial over hush-money payments to porn stars.
When Trump entered the courtroom around 9:30 a.m., he winked at court security and took a seat at the bench of longtime aide Jason Miller, who was sitting in the back of the courtroom, according to a pool report.
Of the 96 potential jurors asked Monday afternoon if they had difficulty being impartial, 50 raised their hands to be excused. This is further evidence of the challenge Judge Juan Melchán faces in finding 12 jurors and six alternates who cannot remain impartial. They have strong biases either for or against Trump.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is suing the former president over payments allegedly aimed at keeping secret his relationships with adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougall. filed a lawsuit against the other party. Prosecutors said Trump plotted to hide the alleged relationship from U.S. voters so as not to hurt him in the 2016 presidential election.
The trial is unfolding amid a presidential election in which Trump is almost certain to be the Republican nominee to face Joe Biden in November.
Bragg’s office said Trump, who was indicted by a grand jury in spring 2023 on 34 counts of falsifying business records, was involved in a “grab and kill plot” with his then-lawyer Michael Cohen from August 2015 to December 2017. He claims to have participated in.
President Trump’s hush money criminal trial: What you need to know
President Trump’s former consigliere pleaded guilty to federal charges in 2018 for his involvement in that particular hush-money scheme and wired $130,000 to Daniels’ then-lawyer less than two weeks before the election. Cohen funneled these funds through shell companies.
After Mr. Trump won the presidential election, he repaid Mr. Cohen with small monthly checks, which were originally set up in New York by Donald Trump to house the assets of the president’s company during his 2016 presidential term. -It was from the J. Trump Revocable Trust.
But the company disguised the payments as legal fees, and prosecutors said Trump was responsible for creating false business records “with intent to defraud and to commit another crime,” specifically to influence his campaign. The lawsuit alleges that this shows that he violated campaign finance laws by giving the money. Results of the US presidential election.
Documents in the prosecutor’s contempt motion against Trump were made public on Tuesday. They argued in court on Monday that they had breached Mr Marchand’s gag order against attacking witnesses. Judge Machan convened a hearing on the motion on April 23.
When selection resumed Tuesday, another potential juror was excused because of his upbringing in Texas.Although he said he doesn’t lean in any particular political direction, “Growing up, many of his family members [and] friend [were] “Republican” meant “It’s probably hard for me to be impartial.”
“Thank you for your candor,” Machan replied. “Please excuse me on this occasion.”
Another prospective juror said he had read three of Mr. Trump’s books, and Mr. Trump gave a rare smile.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass then asked the prospects, who had not yet been fired, about fairness.
“This case has nothing to do with your personal politics,” he said. “This is not a referendum on Trump’s presidency, nor is it a popular vote, nor is it a guide to who we will vote for in November. We don’t care.
“This case is about whether this man broke the law.”
Immediately after the court date, Trump visited a warehouse in New York on his first campaign trip since the hush money trial began, making the presumptive Republican nominee the first former president in U.S. history to face a criminal trial.
Trump will be confined to the courtroom most days, severely limiting his ability to travel, campaign, raise money and make phone calls. His aides are planning rallies and other political events on weekends and Wednesdays, when court is not expected to be in session. Plans also include local appearances by President Trump after each day’s court adjournment.
President Trump stopped by a Sanaa convenience store. Sanaa Convenience Store is a small shop that sells chips, soda, and other snacks. Trump’s aides said the case was resolved about two years ago when the charges were dismissed, but the former president and potential Republican candidate chose the store because of his commitment to employees. This is because it was the location where the assault occurred.
The suspension of local campaigning in Harlem allows him to make a serious effort to win his home state, despite its strong Democratic leanings.
“They want law and order… They get robbed every week,” Trump said of New York businesses, comparing his prosecution to the streets of New York state. “Do you know where the crime is? It’s in the bodega.”
