Trump complains about hush money trial jury selection | Wilnesh News

Donald Trump complained Wednesday that his lawyers have not been given an “unlimited” opportunity to reject potential jurors in his criminal hush-money trial in New York.

but State Law Limiting the number of potential jurors his attorneys can remove without cause.

Trump received the correct number of recalls given the type of criminal charges he faces: 10 mandatory juror recalls and two more for each alternate juror.

“While we are picking the jury, I thought the strike should be ‘infinite’?” Trump wrote in a post postal About the Truth Society.

“Then I was told we only had 10, which wasn’t nearly enough when we were deliberately awarded the second-worst field in the country.”

Trump said New York City, which leans heavily Democratic, is only better than Washington, D.C.

His complaint came a day after the first seven jurors were selected for the trial in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Selection proceedings resumed Thursday after a break Thursday, with five jurors and six alternates still seated from a new batch of 96 potential jurors.

In criminal trials in New York, both prosecutors and the defense are allowed a certain number of forcible strikes that can be used to dismiss prospective jurors without cause.

The number of strikes assigned depends on the highest level of crime charged.

The Class E felony trial, which includes charges that Trump faces falsifying business records, has had the fewest number of challenges.

Samantha Chorny, a New York City criminal defense attorney, told CNBC that if there were an open-ended mandatory strike, as Trump wants, “I mean, no one would be picking a jury.”

Jeremy Salander, another New York criminal defense attorney, said Trump’s complaint against the “Truth Society” showed “his willful disregard for the law.”

Salander said it was hard to imagine Trump “wasn’t aware of the simple fact of the jury selection strike rule,” especially since he faces four pending criminal cases.

“That tells me that he doesn’t really believe” what he’s saying and that Trump is trying “to present himself as the victim,” Salander said.

Although Trump is presumed innocent until proven guilty, “this nonsense really undermines law and order,” Salander said.

Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors can make an unlimited number of requests to Judge Juan Merchant to remove potential jurors for cause.

Reasons may include a person’s inability to treat either party fairly and impartially at a trial.

Merchin on Tuesday rejected at least one request from Trump’s lawyers to remove potential jurors for cause.

Some legal experts initially expected that jury selection could take up to two weeks, noting that it was expected to be difficult to find someone who could fairly judge the polarizing Republican presidential candidate.

But after the first jurors are seated on Tuesday, Merchin could begin opening statements Monday morning if the current pace of jury selection continues.

Trump accused Mo Qian of “acting hastily” in court on Tuesday. But he has previously complained that the expected six-week trial was a form of “electoral interference” because it would take him away from the campaign trail.

Trump is accused in the case of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush-money payment made by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accused Trump of trying to influence the election he ultimately won by secretly barring Daniels from talking about her sexual tryst with Trump years ago. Trump denies having sex with Daniels.

Trump visited a convenience store in Sana’a after the trial adjourned on Tuesday afternoon HarlemIn 2022, a fatal stabbing occurred here, leading to a controversial charging decision from Bragg’s office.

Store clerk Joe Alba has been arrested and charged with murder for stabbing an ex-convict who attacked him in the store. But weeks later, amid public outcry over Alba’s arrest, Bragg dropped the charges, and Alba spent several weeks in jail.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for Bragg said, “This matter was resolved nearly two years ago and the charges were dismissed following a thorough investigation.”

“The top priority of the DA’s office in Bragg remains combating violent crime, and the office has worked hand-in-hand with the NYPD to reduce Manhattan’s overall crime rate, including double-digit declines in homicides and shootings since he took office,” the spokesperson said. .