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Trump’s first day of hush money trial ends with no jurors as he rails against having to attend court: Live
Jury selection underway in New York in first criminal case of former president where he is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in a bid to conceal a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels in 2016
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Donald Trump is making history once again as the first American president to ever stand trial on criminal charges.
The former president has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in a bid to conceal a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, in order to silence her over an alleged affair in 2006.
The charges on their own are misdemeanours but have been elevated to felonies because Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg says they occurred to violate state or federal election laws.
Mr Trump denies the affair and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Before jury selection got underway, Judge Juan Merchan denied a recusal motion and both sides are now debating what evidence can be admitted. A transcript of the Access Hollywood tape will be admitted, as will testimony from ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal but not in the context of Melania Trump’s pregnancy.
Earlier on Monday morning, Mr Trump instantly unleashed a series of rants on Truth Social blasting “the Biden Manhattan Witch Hunt Case” and claiming he wants “my VOICE back”.
At one point in court, he appeared to fall asleep.
How the Stormy Daniels hush money case unfolded
With day one of this historic moment at a close, let’s go back to the beginning, and look at the major milestones of the Trump-Stormy relationship:
Oliver O’Connell15 April 2024 23:30
Outside of his historic first criminal trial, Trump supporters ask: Who among us hasn’t paid for sex?
Richard Hall writes:
You can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep, but what about the people who come out to protest at their criminal trial?
Had Donald Trump glanced out of a window on his way to the Manhattan Supreme Court for the opening day of his historic trial, he would have seen that his supporters had dwindled since his arraignment a little over a year ago.
Back then, there was palpable shock and outrage among the gathered protesters that a former president could be arrested and charged with a crime. Although that was no great mass either, that day in March last year seemed to attract not just hardcore followers, but a smattering of relatively middle-of-the-road folks concerned about the implications of such an event.
Today, however, the crowd had thinned to a handful of true believers and true characters — those who don’t leave their house without a giant flag, a bullhorn, and an offensive T-shirt they made themselves.
It’s not only that the crowds are getting smaller, it’s that they are getting significantly weirder.
Continue reading…
Oliver O’Connell15 April 2024 23:12
Florida classified documents case: Potential blow for Trump as lawyer-turned-witness leaves legal team
A long-time attorney for Trump who is expected to be a key witness in a criminal case targeting the former president’s possession of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago has reportedly left his legal team.
Evan Corcoran, who recused himself from the Florida case last year, is no longer representing the former president in any of his criminal and civil cases, according to CNN.
Corcoran quickly found himself at the centre of the classified documents case after he was hired to represent the former president, who faces a 40-count indictment alleging violations of the Espionage Act, obstruction, and the illegal removal of federal records after he left the White House.
His prolific notes and voice recordings that reportedly detail his exchanges with Trump have become central to special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution, revealing how the former president allegedly misled his then-attorney about his mishandling of sensitive documents and attempts to evade a subpoena.
Alex Woodward brings us this one.
Oliver O’Connell15 April 2024 22:20
Can Trump still run for president as he heads to trial with four criminal indictments?
Donald Trump has insisted he will remain in the race for the White House regardless of the outcomes of the criminal cases against him, but with potential convictions and judgements in both federal and state indictments, and possible multi-million dollar lawsuits to fight in tandem with campaigning, does he really have a political future?
Continue reading…
Oliver O’Connell15 April 2024 22:00
Watch: Trump claims judge won’t let him attend son’s graduation
Judge Juan Merchan has not ruled on that yet, but he did say he wanted the former president in his court when the Supreme Court hears arguments on presidential immunity next week.
Oliver O’Connell15 April 2024 21:56
Trump asks to attend Supreme Court immunity hearing
Alex Woodward reports from court:
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche says Donald Trump wants to attend next week’s Supreme Court hearing on immunity.
“He could be back here in the afternoon, by lunchtime,” Blanche says.
Judge Merchan responds: “He’s required to be here. He’s not required to be at the Supreme Court. I will see him here next week.”
Oliver O’Connell15 April 2024 21:40
The final prospective juror the court hears from today is a native New Yorker and oncology nurse who gets news from The New York Times, CNN, Google and Facebook.
Her fiance works in finance.
Judge Merchan excuses the panel for the day instructing them to be back on time so they can start at 9.30am tomorrow.
Alex Woodward15 April 2024 21:31
The eighth prospective juror is an Upper East Side resident of three years, originally from the suburbs of Chicago.
She works in social media marketing. In her spare time, she watches sports and reality TV. She gets her news from “Google, Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram and The Wall Street Journal.”
Her father, brothers and boyfriend all work in finance. She once used to receive Trump-related emails of some kind but unsubscribed.
Alex Woodward15 April 2024 21:26
The next juror is a prosecutor with the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office who lives on the Upper East Side. He says he can be impartial.
He watches Fox News, “no talk radio,” and “my girlfriend works in finance at a bank but I honestly don’t know what she does.”
Alex Woodward15 April 2024 21:22
The next juror has lived in the Upper West Side for 20 years and is a bookseller. He’s married with two children and hiswife is a lawyer. He watches movies, reads, goes to Broadway shows, and works with a pediatric cancer organisation
He listens to the radio – “whatever is on when my alarm goes off, whenever is on when I’m in the shower, whatever is on in the car” – and “the talk radio is NPR, on all three.”
On question 31 (“Do you have any strong opinions or firmly held beliefs about whether a former president may be criminally charged in state court?“), he answers: “Nobody is above the law, whether it’s a former president, a sitting president, or a janitor.”
Alex Woodward15 April 2024 21:21
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