Criminal trial of Donald Trump | A full jury has been selected

(New York) Twelve jurors and six alternates were chosen by the Manhattan court on Friday in the historic trial of Donald Trump, the first former president of the United States to appear on criminal charges, announced Judge Juan Merchan.

“We have the full jury,” the judge said on the fourth day of hearing, paving the way for the proceedings to begin. Donald Trump is being prosecuted for hidden payments to buy the silence of a former pornographic film star, Stormy Daniels, a few days before the 2016 election which he won narrowly against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The former President of the United States (2017-2021), candidate for his return to the White House, arrived at the Manhattan court for a fourth day of hearing, protesting once again against “a rigged trial” which prevents him from campaigning. He also targeted the judge presiding over the proceedings, Juan Merchan, the “worst there is”, for forbidding him from attacking witnesses or jurors, an attack according to Donald Trump on “his constitutional right to express himself” freely.

The process for the composition of the citizen jury saw more than 200 candidates parade, dozens of whom declined the offer, saying they were incapable of judging Donald Trump fairly, others being dismissed by the defense or the prosecution.

The court still managed to select 12 jurors, seven men and five women residing in Manhattan, who were sworn in Thursday after having their lives scrutinized and answering numerous questions.

Working in finance, commerce, education or health, the jurors, whom the judge promised would remain anonymous, represent a snapshot of New York society.

One juror confided that she disliked the character of Donald Trump, another that he had done good things for the United States, but all assured that their feelings towards the 45^e President of the United States would not interfere with their judgment.

Witnesses attacked online

The heat of the debates could begin from Monday.

Donald Trump’s lawyers asked, in vain, for the prosecution to provide them with a list of the first three witnesses they intend to call to the stand. Prosecutors declined, arguing that the former president had already attacked several witnesses on social media.

More than three years after leaving the White House in chaos, Donald Trump theoretically faces a prison sentence. This would not prevent him from finding himself facing Democratic outgoing President Joe Biden in November, for a rematch of the 2020 election, but would project the campaign into the unknown.

If he were found not guilty, however, it would be a major success for the Republican candidate.

Especially since he managed through appeals to postpone his three other criminal trials, two for illicit attempts to reverse the results of the 2020 election, and one for supposedly casual handling of classified documents.

In this case tried in New York, Donald Trump is charged with falsifying accounting documents from his company, the Trump Organization, which allegedly aimed to hide, under the cover of “legal fees”, the payment of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels by his personal lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen.

In exchange, the former pornographic film star agreed to keep quiet about a sexual relationship with the billionaire in 2006. Donald Trump has always denied this relationship and his defense ensures that the payments were in the private sphere.

But prosecutor Alvin Bragg intends to demonstrate that these are indeed fraudulent maneuvers to hide information from voters a few days before the vote.