(PartiallyPolitics.com) – On Monday, Judge Juan Merchan who is overseeing former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial relating to the hush money payment dismissed almost half of the prospective jurors as he determined that they were not able to impartially decide if the former president was innocent or guilty.
On the first day of the trial, which is the first criminal trial in U.S. history to involve a former or current U.S. president, Merchan started off by telling prospective jurors that they needed to set aside any personal biases and opinions regarding the defendant, including their “political orientation.” By the end of the first day, at least 50 prospective jurors had been dismissed after it was determined that they were not in a position to make an impartial judgment on Trump, who is the 2024 presumptive GOP nominee. There were also other prospective jurors who had been excused after stating that they could not serve for different reasons.
The case against Trump was brought forward by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) who has claimed that the former President falsified business records to hide a $130,000 hush money payment he had made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, in the last few days of the 2016 presidential election, in an attempt to buy her silence regarding an alleged affair they had in 2006.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer and lawyer, has testified before to making the payment on behalf of Trump to buy Daniels’ silence ahead of the presidential election.
Trump has maintained that he has not had an affair with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges.
As the prospective jurors entered the courtroom many tried to get a glimpse of Trump who was sitting on the defense’s side. Lawyers from both sides are going to try and agree on a panel of 12 impartial jurors and six alternatives who will get to hear Trump’s criminal case before the Nov. 5 presidential election.
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