Donald Trump is on trial, the hush money trial is ongoing. The first step is the selection of the jury - they could live dangerous lives.
New York – The trial against former US President Donald Trump for covering up a hush money payment to former porn actress Stormy Daniels has begun. However, not with the actual trial, but with the selection of the jury that will decide Trump's guilt or innocence. It is a lengthy process that Trump himself endured, visibly exhausted.
The selection of the jury progressed more quickly than generally expected. On the second day of the trial on Tuesday (April 17), seven of the twelve jurors had already been selected. Judge Juan Merchan said he hopes the actual trial can begin as early as next Monday.
Judge warns Trump about intimidating jurors
The judge warned Trump on the second day of the trial not to intimidate the jury. “I will not allow any jurors to be intimidated in this courtroom,” Merchan said. Trump had previously mumbled in the direction of a potential jury member.
The trial against the Republicans' expected renewed presidential candidate for the 2024 US election is taking place in the midst of the extremely heated election campaign. Merchan ordered the jurors to remain anonymous. This is intended to protect them from possible bribery attempts and violence.
Ex-prosecutor worries about jurors in Trump trial
Former US federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori, who gave an interview on the US broadcaster
CNN
, is also worried about the jury in the Trump trial .
"Yes, I'm worried about your safety," he said.
He criticized the fact that details about the potential jurors had become known. This could possibly be used to identify them. “And that’s not the media’s fault,” he clarified. The responsibility, however, lies “with the prosecutor’s office and the judge.”
The jury will not remain anonymous if things continue like this, predicts the ex-prosecutor. For example,
a
Washington Post
article noted how long one of the potential jurors had worked at a New York bookstore. According to a report by
Newsweek
, the name of the store was initially included in the article, but it was subsequently removed.
Who are the jurors in the Trump trial?
Jury selection is a complicated process in the United States. The court must first rule out any bias against the defendant.
The proceedings began on the first day of the trial on Monday (April 16): 96 potential jurors came into the courtroom. Around half were immediately excluded again: When the judge asked who thought they could not judge Trump objectively, almost 50 men and women raised their hands.
A total of twelve jurors are needed for Trump's hush money trial, as well as six people who could step up if the worst comes to the worst. When selecting each individual juror, the prosecution and defense must agree.
The intensive questioning of potential jurors continued in court on Tuesday. This included, among other things, their media use, their possible political donations and their attitude towards the defendant.
This is what is known about jurors in the Trump trial
The details about the jurors that the court releases to the public are not intended to allow any conclusions to be drawn about their exact identities. According to
Newsweek
, the New York districts in which they live, their original origins, their previous experiences as jurors, the media they prefer to consume and vague information about their profession and marital status
are made known .
In the end, the jury must decide unanimously whether Trump is guilty or innocent. With just one dissenting vote, the trial would be declared a failure and end without a verdict - which would be a triumph for Trump.
Trump is said to have covered up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels
In the current case, Trump is accused of forging business documents to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment to former porn actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Trump is said to have silenced Stormy Daniels about an alleged sex affair.
Trump has pleaded innocent and denied any sexual contact with Stormy Daniels. However, his election campaign is already being severely hampered by the hush money trial. Current surveys on the US election also show this. Judge Merchan ordered the defendant to be present on all days of the trial.
(smu with material from AFP)