donald trump He returned this Thursday to the New York court where the judge of the first criminal trial of a former US president was trying to conclude jury selection in a delicate process in which two of the first seven members selected were discarded.
One of those discarded had expressed to the investigating judge of Colombian origin Juan Merchan her fear that her identity would be revealed and the second followed the same fate after the prosecution expressed its doubts about the veracity of her answers.
Despite these latest setbacks, the judge hopes to begin on Monday with the arguments in the case before beginning the parade of witnesses, in a process that is expected to last six weeks.
Impartiality and anonymity – for security reasons and to avoid harassment – are essential to define a jury that will have the enormous responsibility of sealing the fate of the first former president to sit on the bench in the history of the country, and who aspires to return to the White House with the Republican Party in the elections on November 5.
The judge has asked the press not to give details about the potential candidates, who have to answer a 42-question questionnaire about their profession, place of work, newspapers they read and social networks they use, which both the defense and the prosecution scrutinize closely. magnifying glass to determine their political leanings.
After a first screening, of the 96 new potential candidates called on Thursday, less than half remained in the running, after doubting their impartiality in a trial that the Republican magnate is trying to politicize, claiming to be a victim of a “Witch hunt”.
The Manhattan prosecutor’s office accuses the magnate of 34 falsifications of accounting documents from the Trump Organization family business to buy the silence of a former porn film actress for an extramarital affair so that she would not interfere in his 2016 campaign that he won against Democrat Hillary Clinton. .
The Republican magnate has pleaded not guilty.
unanimous verdict
To be found guilty of Trump, 77, the jury must reach a unanimous verdict. Both the prosecution and the defense can challenge 10 prospective jurors each, which aroused the ire of Trump, on his Truth Social platform, considering that this number “is not enough” in a city that votes predominantly Democratic.
Prone to disqualifications, Merchan warned Trump that “will not tolerate any intimidation” To the members of the jury.
Subject to a ban on speaking about people connected to the case, the judge has scheduled a hearing for next week to consider whether Trump should be held in contempt for repeatedly violating that order.
Among the prosecution’s witnesses is the magnate’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who was the one who paid former actress Stormy Daniels out of his pocket, passing it off as legal expenses, for which he was already convicted after pleading guilty.
Republican magnate Trump criticizes that he has to be in court instead of campaigning like his likely competitor Joe Biden, current tenant of the White House, whom he blames for orchestrating a judicial crusade against him.
“He should be right now in Pennsylvania, in Florida, in many other states, in North Carolina, in Georgia, campaigning,” he said Tuesday.
In addition to the trial in Manhattan, the Republican magnate has other judicial fronts open for trying to reverse the 2020 election results to remain in the White House and for the handling of secret documents after leaving the presidency in 2021, although it is unlikely that they will be held before of the November elections.
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Source: Gestion
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