Donald Trump Trial: Jury Selection Underway in Hush Money Case

Twelve jurors have been selected in the silent trial surrounding former US President Donald Trump.

The jury includes a software developer, an English teacher, a speech therapist, two lawyers, a banker and a retired fund manager, it was announced. Their identities were not shared, but the judge ordered the media Thursday to be careful in revealing information about the jurors.

The judge did this after a select jury was dismissed at her own request when personal information about her was revealed.

Trump, 77 years old, is on trial in this criminal case – there are a total of four people against him – for paying hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels. The twelve jurors must consider whether Trump paid Daniels $130,000 to prevent a sex scandal before the 2016 presidential elections, which Trump won.

When Daniels wanted to reveal the details of the affair before the elections, Trump would claim that Trump paid her money through his lawyer and confidant Michael Cohen. These payments would be recorded in the accounts as legal expenses, which would amount to fraud. Campaign funds may also have been used for the payments.

Trump complained about having to sit in a Manhattan courtroom all day, reports CNN. He would have to travel across the country to campaign for the 2024 presidential elections, he said. “I should be in New Hampshire, I should be in Georgia, I should be in North and South Carolina. But I’ve been here all day for a trial to very unfair,” he said as he left the courtroom.

The President of the United States from 2017 to 2021 also carried clippings of several “media stories.” In it, legal experts would all say: “This is not a case, the case is stupid,” said Trump.

Trump also complained about how cold it was in the courtroom. “I’ve been sitting here for days now, from morning till night, in that cold, freezing room. Everyone was freezing in there.”

If it is proven that Trump lied to influence the outcome of the election, this is a crime. In that case, he could receive a prison sentence of up to four years. The hush money case is the first ever criminal case against a former president in American history.

After jury selection, the court quickly moved to select alternate jurors. The election is expected to be held by the end of this week. The case could start early next week then and is likely to last between six and eight weeks. This means that the jury will reach a decision long before the presidential elections and that the judge will give a possible sentence.