The unprecedented criminal trial for Donald Trump is scheduled for opening statements next week following final jury selection concluded Friday, leaving the Republican presidential candidate facing weeks of hostile testimony that will cast a pall over his White House campaign.
Friday’s milestone in the first criminal trial of a former or current US president coincided with a man setting himself on fire outside a Manhattan courthouse.
The self-immolation appears to have nothing to do with the Trump case. Authorities said the man was in hospital in critical condition and carrying a pamphlet that referred to an unrelated conspiracy theory.
The full jury of 12 New Yorkers and six reserve jurors had just finished when the incident occurred on the street outside the building where the former president and Republican candidate for November sat on the 15th floor.
Judge Juan Merchan has said opening statements in Trump’s trial will begin Monday.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of business fraud as part of a plan to cover up hush money paid to porn stars so the story wouldn’t break just before the 2016 presidential election, in which he defeated Hillary Clinton.
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The difficulty of selecting an impartial jury, who must also be able to set aside up to two months’ time, was clear throughout this week’s selection process.
Two women in the group of dozens of ordinary New Yorkers screened for the final jury slots Friday suddenly burst into tears as they answered sharp questions from attorneys.
“Sorry. I think I can do it,” said one, which Merchan later released. “It’s a lot more stressful than I thought.”
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Trump issued an angry statement earlier in the day regarding what he called a “grossly unfair” partial silence order imposed by Merchan to prevent him from using his powerful media presence to attack witnesses, prosecutors and relatives of court staff.
“The judge must lift this silence order,” said Trump, who has a long history, including while president, of making threatening or insulting statements once morest his personal and public opponents.
At the time of leaving, he once once more referred to his trial as a “giant witch chase.”
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The court hearings have disrupted Trump’s 2024 campaign, but he has tried to use media coverage to make his claims of victimhood a “hoax.” On Saturday, he will hold a rally in North Carolina.
The Republican Party magnate faces three other criminal cases, including on far more serious charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden, but these cases have been repeatedly postponed.
Tight race once morest Biden
Trump has portrayed his various legal troubles as an attempt by his political opponents to hinder his efforts to return to power. Recent poll results show him largely even with Biden.
In a trial in New York, Trump, 77, has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records on the eve of his 2016 presidential election victory to hide an alleged sexual encounter with porn star Stormy Daniels.
Potential jurors this week were asked questions by prosecutors and defense attorneys regarding their media habits, political donations, education and whether they had ever attended a rally for or once morest Trump.
Many prospective panelists were allowed to go home following saying they might not be objective.
One juror who had already been sworn in was released because he feared his identity had been revealed, and another was released following there were doubts regarding the accuracy of his answers during questioning.
To protect the anonymity of those randomly selected for jury duty, Merchan asked reporters to stop providing physical descriptions of jurors and not identify where they work.
A unanimous verdict would be needed to convict Trump, who was ordered by the judge to attend every day of the hearing. If found guilty, he might be jailed but more likely fined. (AFP/Z-3)
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