The tycoon’s defense examines the social networks of each of the candidates to verify that their political positions do not interfere in the trial
MADRID, 17 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Seven of the twelve members of the jury for the trial of former US President Donald Trump for bribery of former actress Steffany Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, have been chosen during a day in which the magnate’s defense has examined the candidates’ social networks to the position one by one to check that their political positions cannot interfere with the process.
Among those elected there are four men and three women, of whom five have university or higher education – among them two lawyers – and only one of them is not aware that Trump has other open cases, while none had opinions “particularly emphatic” about the magnate or politics, according to the American television network CNN.
During the process of scrutiny of social networks, Judge Juan Merchán has had to reprimand Trump for his behavior, which has gone so far as to “intimidate” a jury through gestures and his “audible” way of speaking in the direction of this person.
The Prosecutor’s Office accuses Trump of 34 crimes for alleged document falsification, within a plot with which he would have tried to hide the payment of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels to buy her silence and not talk about an alleged extramarital relationship before the 2016 elections. The magnate justified this payment as part of his legal expenses.
The mere selection of the jury (which will be made up of twelve jurors and six alternates) already seems complicated, given the relevance of the character, although the judge has been optimistic and believes that it will be ready by the end of the week. The former president continues to insist that the trial is part of a “political persecution” against him, for which he directly blames Joe Biden’s Administration.
The hearings will last, in principle, between six and eight weeks, and will begin with the election of the 12 people who will sit as jurors and another six substitutes. The mere selection of the jury already seems complicated, given the relevance of the character, and could be delayed for more than a week.
The former president’s lawyers tried in vain to postpone the start of this trial, the first of several that Trump has pending. The former president must still answer, among other issues, for his efforts to try to reverse the results of the 2020 elections, in which Biden won.
