The first criminal trial of a former president in US history is getting underway Monday in a crowded Manhattan courtroom, with both sides preparing for the arduous task of seating a 12-person jury in the case of The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump.
Flanked by his attorneys in room 1530 of the Manhattan Criminal Court, Trump is seated at a table where countless defendants before him have appeared. The presumptive Republican nominee for president addressed reporters outside the courtroom before making his way inside.
“This is really an attack on a political opponent. That’s all it is,” Trump said. “So I’m very honored to be here.”
The case is the first of four criminal prosecutions against Trump to make it to trial. He is charged with 34 state counts of falsifying business records related to a “hush money” payment his attorney made to an adult film star before the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, claiming the prosecution is part of a plot by Democrats aimed at preventing him from retaking the White House.
The first day of the Trump trial
JEFFERSON SIEGEL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Judge Juan Merchan took his seat on the bench just before 10 am and called the proceedings to order. He quickly denied a motion from Trump’s legal team asking him to recuse himself from the case. Trump’s attorneys had argued that Merchan should step aside because of his daughter’s employment at a consultancy firm that does work for Democratic candidates and progressive groups. Merchan said their argument relied upon “a series of inferences, innuendos and unsupported allegations.”
Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office are expected to argue over some outstanding issues related to trial rules before the first of more than 500 potential jurors They are escorted into the room for jury selection.
He’ll continue by mentioning the names of two well-known key witnesses in the caseboth of whom Trump considers archnemes: his former attorney Michael Cohen, and Stormy Daniels, the adult film star.
“Specifically, it is alleged that Donald Trump made or caused false business records to hide the true nature of payments made to Michael Cohen, by characterizing them as payment for legal services rendered pursuant to a retainer agreement,” Merchan will say, according to pretrial court filings. “The [prosecutors] allege that in fact, the payments were intended to reimburse Michael Cohen for money he paid to Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, in the weeks before the presidential election to prevent her from publicly revealing details about a past sexual encounter with Donald Trump. “
The potential jurors will be asked to fill out a form with 42 questions ranging from the mundane — what jobs they hold — to the more pointed, like whether they follow Trump on social media. Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors will seek to whit the group of potential jurors down to just 12, plus a few alternates, in a process that is expected to take more than a week. The two sides will then begin presenting their cases.
As a criminal defendant, Trump is required to attend proceedings each day of the trial unless he applies for a waiver. Court personnel and lawyers from both sides have said they expect the trial to last between six and eight weeks.
Graham Kates
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at [email protected] or [email protected]
