Donald Trump at first criminal trial against a former president

On Monday, the historic criminal trial of former President Donald Trump opened on charges of counterfeiting business data with the aim of hiding payments in exchange for the silence of pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels, on an alleged extramarital connection with him.

The trial began with the difficult process of selecting the jury.

On Monday, no member was elected, and the selection is expected to resume on Tuesday.

Mr. Trump is the first US president to face criminal charges, and if convicted, he risks serving a prison sentence.

The trial takes place at a time for Donald Trump to race to regain direction of the White House.

The former president is obliged to be present during court hearings, except in cases where he seeks exemption, which means he will be in the role of the defendant while at the same time campaigning for presidential elections.

He has combined these roles over the past year by appearing before supporters, in campaigning or in social media as the objective of politically motivated investigations aimed at preventing his candidacy.

It's a trick. It's a witch hunt for political purposes. Continues and continues”, Mr. Trump said after leaving the courtroom while sitting in the defendant's bank with his lawyers.

Mr. Trump is accused of hiding a $130,000 fee made movie star to raise Stormy Daniels, just before the 2016 elections, with a view to ensuring her silence over the latter's claims of an extramarital relationship.

Prosecutors have also cited the case of former magazine model “Playboy”, Karen McDougal, who claims he had a 10-month connection with Mr. Trump in the mid-20000s. Mrs. McDougal was paid $150,000 by the most imagined company “National Enquirer” to ensure exclusiveity in publishing this story, which was never released, in all doubt, at the request of Mr. Trump.

The former president has denied relations with both women as well as the 34 charges he faces in the New York case, including that he instructed his former President Michael Cohen to pay Mrs. Daniels and later remand him during his first year of presidency in 2017. The money was registered as a monthly salary and legal expenses for Mr. Cohen.

Each of the charges carries the possibility of a four-year prison sentence. Mr. Trump is expected to appeal the verdict if convicted.

The guilty statement does not prevent him from taking office, but half of independent voters and one in four republics say they would not vote if convicted, according to a survey conducted by Reuters news agency and the Ipso polling company.

Jury Selection

The day began with preliminary arguments, including the possibility of being fined by Mr. Trump for violating the order that prohibits him from speaking publicly about witnesses of the case, as in the afternoon the process of selecting the jury began, where the parties will decide who will respond to determine the legal fate of the former president, and potentially, the future president of the United States.

96 people were in the courtroom today under the process of selecting a jury.

Mr. Trump's fame would make the process of selecting 12 members of the jury and 6 substitutes, a difficult task at any time, but is likely to be particularly challenging now, as it takes place in an election year, in the very democratic city where Mr. Trump grew up and received the status of a famous man several decades before he won the White House.

Judge Juan Merchan summoned 96 possible members of the jury to ask them whether they were unilateral, pro or against Mr. Trump, as well as whether they could make a fair decision on the matter, regardless of their views on the former president.

More than 50 people, an unusual high number, raised their hands to express themselves that they could not be right in the matter, and therefore left immediately.

It was not expected that Judge Merchan asked them specifically how they voted in Mr. Trump's presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020.

Among 42 questions, he had planned to ask potential members of the jury what their reliable sources of information are, whether they attended any of Mr. Trump's political gatherings or gatherings against him, or whether they are part of groups opposing the actions of the federal government.

For the selection of jury members, it may take several days. Judge Merchan postponed the process Tuesday after asking 10 potential jury members Monday.

Former President Trump names the matter “political persecution”

Mr. Trump, who served as president from the beginning of 2017 to January 2021, has repeatedly criticised criminal processes against him.

This Monday as he entered the Court, he said the case constituted “assault on America”. “This is political persecution. A persecution that never occurred before”, he said.

The New York case is one of four criminal indictments facing former President Trump, involving 88 counts, which he has rejected all.

Some legal analysts see the money issue paid to Mrs. Daniels as one that will produce fewer consequences compared to the four cases he faces.

In two of the other indictments, Mr. Trump is accused of illegal attempts to change the outcome of the 2020 elections declaring him a loser, while in another indictment he is accused of illegally upholding hundreds of secret documents on property in Florida and later refused requests to return them.

For all three issues, no fixed date has been set yet for the development of the judicial process, and Mr. Trump has sought to postpone them until after the November elections.

If he wins, he might want to drop federal charges. In any case, if Mr. Trump wins the election, he will not be tried during the time of the exercise of the president's office. / VOA