The charges from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stem from a $130,000 payment Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels at the end of the 2016 election to keep her from going public with an allegation that she and Trump had had an affair. Trump then repaid Cohen in installments marked as legal fees in company records.a former president has faced a criminal trial; Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Trump is required to be at the New York case. But there is no requirement that parties attend Supreme Court arguments, which Merchan pointed out. “I feel that nobody is above the law, whether it be a former president, or a sitting president," he said.Merchan dismissed a prospective juror this afternoon after she responded"Yes" to a question on the jury selection questionnaire about whether she had opinions about Trump.Potential jurors who entered the courtroom with the first group were stretching their necks from the rows to get a look at Trump.
The names he read included: Rudy Giuliani, Sharon Churcher, Dan Scavino, Keith Schiller, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Melania Trump, John McEntee, Kellyanne Conway, and Jared KushnerThe potential jurors have been brought into the courtroom and Merchan has now begun the process of informing them what will happen next.
The judge made clear that the list with the names cannot be copied or photographed and must be returned to the court.Steinglass said Bragg’s office now wants to conduct a Sandoval hearing, which is designed to allow defendants to make an informed decision on whether to testify by providing a pre-trial determination of the permissible scope of cross-examination. Before a jury is seated, it is customary to determine whether there are potential Sandoval issues.
“President Trump made these decisions about the composition of his defense team in both cases at a time when there were no scheduling conflicts,” Blanche and Kise wrote. “Neither President Trump nor his counsel can be in both places at once.
Merchan said they will try to fit every potential juror in the jury room, but with the Secret Service accompanying Trump everywhere, it may not be possible to do so.Merchan is talking directly to the former president for the first time all day, issuing a stark warning that if he fails to show up for trial without a reason a warrant will be issued for his arrest.You have the right to be present in court at any proceeding including, in particular, a hearing and trial.
Steinglass argued that Trump's efforts have continued to this day, including spreading falsehoods and attacking Michael Cohen. He said the witnesses in the case “have incurred the wrath of Trump supporters,” adding that Trump"skillfully, obsessively” puts out posts attacking his opponents both in the political sphere and in court.
Steinglass asked for permission to admit certain exhibits, including articles in the Enquirer with positive headlines on Trump that were shown to him before publication so that he could suggest changes and/or approve them. Negative stories about Trump’s primary opponents in the 2016 presidential election cycle — particularly Ben Carson, and Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida — were also reviewed by Trump and were designed to have maximum damaging impact.
There will be no trial on any day that conflicts with the religious observance of any juror, as well, he said. Merchan also said he is willing to curtail trial on April 22 and April 23 by 2 p.m. to allow counsel to make it to their holiday observances by sundown, which is roughly at 7:43 p.m.Merchan began the day by discussing the motion filed by Trump's team calling for the judge to recuse himself from the case. He denied that request.
In brief remarks to cameras set up inside the courthouse, Trump said that the trial is"an assault on America" and just an attack on a"political opponent." The press pool and today’s sketch artist appear to be seated in the first row directly behind them.The DA’s office has a large banker’s box on their table. Matthew Colangelo, another leading lawyer on the DA’s team and the subject of multiple Trump social media posts, also can be seen.
The charges against Trump stem from an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office into an alleged “catch and kill” scheme to bury negative stories about Trump before the 2016 presidential election in a bid to influence the outcome.