Twelve jurors were finalized Thursday in former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan hush money trial after a tumultuous day in which two previously selected jurors were dismissed.
Trump, 77, did not comment on the selected committee that will decide his fate as he left the courtroom, but leafed through news articles and editorial clippings from various media outlets that made him think about the trial again. He called it a “fraud”. critical of the incident.
“The whole world is watching this hoax,” the prospective Republican presidential nominee said.
The lightning progress in the case came after two of the seven jurors selected earlier this week were dismissed by midday, but after hours of wrangling by Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors. Seven more were selected within 15 minutes.
New jurors added Thursday afternoon include a former money manager from Lebanon who does yoga every morning, a speech therapist from the Upper East Side, and a Murray Hill man who works for an glasses company. Ta.
During the jury selection process, Trump faced dozens of New Yorkers, including a law enforcement veteran who holds New York Rangers season tickets, still uses a flip phone, and is a favorite of local tabloids. Also included were 2016 veterans.
“The only publications I read are the Daily News and the Post,” the prospective juror proudly said, specifically excluding the popular Times Square-based broadsheet newspaper from his list.
When a man thanked Trump for fixing the Wollman Rink in Central Park, a big smile appeared on President Trump’s face.
“As an aspiring hockey player, I remain grateful to him for fixing Wollman Rink when no one else could,” said a prospective juror, who was later removed at the request of prosecutors.
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Two potential female jurors criticized Trump, with one saying he “seems selfish” and “I don’t like his personality.”
The woman became a juror after saying she didn’t actually know President Trump and could decide the case based on the facts.
Here’s what we know about the seven new panelists.
- Juror No. 2, an investment banker who lives in Hell’s Kitchen with his wife, follows Trump on X and listens to Michael Cohen’s podcast.
- Juror number 4 lives on the Upper West Side and is originally from California. He works as a security engineer, is married with children, and works in metal and woodworking. He has several relatives who are lawyers.
- Juror No. 8 is a Lebanese-born man who has lived on the Upper East Side for 44 years. He is a retired wealth manager who still does consulting work. He is married and has two children of his own. He skis, does yoga, and mediates.
- Juror No. 9 is a woman who lives on the Upper East Side and works as a speech therapist for the city’s Department of Education. She is unmarried and lives alone.
- Juror No. 10 is from Ohio and works in the e-commerce field. He is unmarried and loves the outdoors, animals, and behavioral psychology.
- Juror No. 11 is a woman from California who lives in Upper Manhattan. She works as a product development manager. She specifically said she didn’t like President Trump’s “personality” and said he “appears to be selfish,” but said that would not prevent her from being an impartial juror. .
- Juror No. 12 is a physical therapist who lives on the Upper East Side and is married but has no children. She likes running, playing tennis, and listening to live music.
- Substitute No. 1 is a property analyst who lives in Midtown East with her boyfriend. The woman grew up in England and Hong Kong and attended college in North Carolina. She likes running, hanging out, and eating as her hobbies.
Rounding out the 12-member committee of the remaining five chosen Tuesday are a Chelsea-based corporate lawyer who enjoys hiking and running, and a woman who has lived in Harlem all her life and works as a city teacher, and Trump. This includes a woman who said the president “likes when he speaks his opinion openly.” ”
I’m a software engineer who lives in Chelsea and enjoys going to the theater, going to restaurants, dancing, and watching TV. I’m originally from North Carolina and live on the Upper East Side and enjoy spending time outside with my kids. One civil lawyer told the court he was enjoying it. .
The foreman is an unmarried man who works in sales, lives in West Harlem, and is originally from Ireland.
The first two jurors chosen Thursday replaced two who were dismissed earlier in the day. One was a former Juror No. 2, an oncology nurse at Memorial Sloan Kettering who said he couldn’t be “fair and impartial.” Former juror No. 4, a year-old Puerto Rican man, may have been lying about whether he had been arrested before, prosecutors suggested.
One of six alternate jurors was also chosen Thursday.
Mr. Trump is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, when lawyers and prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office will finish selecting the final five replacements.
The trial is scheduled to begin Monday with opening statements and is expected to last approximately six weeks.
President Trump paid ex-lawyer Michael Cohen $130,000 to former porn star Stormy Daniels to silence her claims that he secretly met with a married presidential candidate in the run-up to the 2016 election. He is accused of falsifying business records in order to cover up the fact that he had made a mistake.
Mr. Cohen is expected to be a key prosecution witness brought in by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and Mr. Daniels is also likely to testify against the former president.
Prosecutors asked Judge Juan Marchand to fine Trump $3,000 and potentially serve jail time if he posts about Cohen and Daniels on social media, in violation of a judge-imposed gag order. I asked him to warn me that there is.
Marchand ruled that the former commander-in-chief cannot speak about witnesses, jurors, court officials, including the judge or Bragg’s relatives.
