Two women who said in court that they didn't like how the former president ran the country are part of the jury that will decide the case.
The Trump Organization is accused of running a 15-year scheme to help executives cheat on their taxes.
One of those chosen is a self-employed book editor who joked that she has "opinions" about Trump, who is not a defendant but is still the elephant in the room.
The editor said that he didn't vote for Trump because his company faces a lot of fines.
She said she would have gone for different Supreme Court justices than he chose.
She promised that she would be impartial and fair.
When asked how she felt about Trump, a retiree with grown kids who enjoys crocheting, did some soul searching.
She said from the front row of the jury box that she didn't feel emotional about what he had done.
She said she wasn't taking it personally. President Trump was the leader of the US. I would be upset about things.
The woman said that she understood that it was Trump's company that was on trial.
She told the lawyers, prosecutors, and state supreme court justice that she had feelings in the past. She said that she would do her best to be impartial and fair.
She promised to follow the instructions.
The two women were among nearly a dozen out of the 18 being questioned in the jury box who raised their hands.
In New York City, only 12% of voters supported Trump in 2020. Many people were dismissed from the courtroom due to their dislike for the former president.
Brennan asked them if they wanted to know more about the former president. Everyone knows who he is. He was the leader of the group.
"I want to go through with all of you, questions 29 and 30" the lawyer said, referring to the number of questions in a juror questionnaire that specifically asked if they could be impartial in a trial involving Trump.
Some of you said you can be fair and impartial. Do you hold strong opinions about former President Trump? Do you think it's either way?
All but one of the 11 people who raised their hands in the jury box went on to say what they thought were negative things.
The defense lawyers would lose one of their valuable and limited peremptory challenges if they refused to be impartial.
The Trump lawyers didn't spend a lot of time on their peremptories.
The marketing company CEO said she had a negative opinion of Trump, but not about his company. Rejecting a woman with no stated opinions about Trump but who worked in the banking field and who said she likes to write was one of the options.
Defense lawyers want to make sure that jurors who might write a book about the case don't affect deliberations.
The woman who said she was an NBC journalist was excused by both sides after she promised to write a book about the case.
There are five more jurors and six alternates left to be selected.
The jury was told to return on Monday at 9:30 a.m. for opening statements.
The trial could last another six weeks and run to the end of the winter holidays, according to warnings given to them.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
