New York: Jurors in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial next week will be asked whether they attended a rally to support or oppose the former president.
These are the questions posed to a randomly selected group of New Yorkers who served as judges in the former president’s first criminal trial.
Trump has been accused of falsifying employment records for allegedly paying porn star Stormy Daniels large sums of money before the 2016 election to cover up his sexuality.
Jury selection for the best case trial began Monday in the Manhattan courtroom, and hundreds of citizens have been invited to the courtroom.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that the former president will not be able to get a fair trial in New York, but they lost a last-ditch bid to delay the start of the trial on Monday when they filed for a change of venue.
The verdict must be unanimous, and Trump’s prosecutors and lawyers will try to uncover his political motives to build the jury he wants.
New Yorkers voted heavily for Democrats Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in 2016 and 2020, respectively, while Republican Trump is a bipartisan figure in the Big Apple.
The seven-page juror questionnaire, approved by defense attorney and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, asked jurors basic questions about occupation, marital status and entertainment before delving into more sensitive areas.
“Do you have strong opinions about former President Donald Trump or current presidential candidates that interfere with your ability to be a fair and impartial judge?” is one of the questions.
Potential jurors were asked whether they followed Trump on social media or attended rallies or campaign events to support or oppose the former president.
The 77-year-old presidential candidate has repeatedly denounced what he described as a political witch hunt by Democrats to derail his chances of winning back the White House in November.
After the jurors answer the questionnaire, they will undergo a further examination called “voir dire” and will be questioned by the prosecutor and defense attorney.
Trump’s lawyers unsuccessfully tried to delay the trial because the pool jury in New York had been subjected to “a large amount of biased and unfair media coverage.”
“Many potential jurors have mistakenly believed that President Trump is guilty,” they complained to Judge Juan Mercana, who will preside over the trial.
District Attorney Bragg denied the request.
Merchan has ordered that jurors’ names be kept from the public and warned Trump that he could withhold his identity from his attorney if he violates the rules by attacking witnesses, jurors or their families.
Such a move would complicate Trump’s defense by limiting the amount of information his attorneys can seek about potential jurors.
Leslie Ellis, a veteran jury consultant and founder of the Caissa Group, said that even with a high-profile figure like Trump, there will be some jurors who say they don’t know much about the case.
