Alan Dershowitz, a longtime trial lawyer and former attorney for Donald Trump, says that the ex-president’s jury at his New York hush money trial is bad news for his one-time client.
Following three days of legal wrangling a panel of seven men and five women has now been selected and they will assess his guilt or innocence over the coming weeks.
Dershowitz, 85, says that the makeup of the jurors – who include a corporate lawyer, an investment banker, a software engineer and a teacher – suggest Trump will fare poorly.
‘This is a bad jury for Donald Trump,’ Dershowitz told Newsmax Friday.
He goes as far as to say that they are almost certain to find Trump guilty and ‘the best he’s likely to do is a hung jury.’
Alan Dershowitz , a longtime trial lawyer and former attorney for Donald Trump , says that the ex-president’s jury at his New York hush money trial is bad news for his one-time client
Following three days of legal wrangling a panel of seven men and five women has now been selected and they will assess President Trump’s guilt or innocence over the coming weeks
Dershowitz ‘can’t imagine’ they return a not guilty verdict after discovering the media diet the jurors consume.
‘I think it’s too much of a New York Times, TikTok jury. This is maybe the best you can do with a New York jury pool, but it’s not a good jury for Donald Trump.’
Each of the jurors was questioned regarding their opinions of the former president, as well as what media they trusted.
The jury foreman, when questioned about where he gets his news from, said Dailymail.com, among other outlets.
Dershowitz, who was once part of the famous ‘Dream Team’ that secured OJ Simpson’s acquittal and defended Trump at his impeachment trial, slammed other elements of the case unfavorable to Trump.
He said it was ‘not fair’ that the prosecution were not forced to reveal the identity of their first three witnesses.
‘You have a right to prepare, and if I were Trump’s lawyers as soon as the name of the first question is going forward, I would call for a recess’ and ask for multiple days to prepare questions for cross-examination,’ he said.
Dershowitz also referred to the gag order placed on Trump ‘outrageously unfair’ and against the spirit of America.
Dershowitz ‘can’t imagine’ they return a not guilty verdict against Trump after discovering the media diet the jurors consume
Judge Juan Merchan has ordered Trump not to attack potential jurors in the case.
The order prohibits Trump from ‘making or directing others to make public statements about any prospective juror or any juror.’
The case centers on a $130,000 payment that Trump’s lawyer and personal fixer, Michael Cohen, made shortly before the 2016 election to porn actor Stormy Daniels to prevent her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump from becoming public.
Prosecutors say Trump obscured the true nature of the payments in internal records when his company reimbursed Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal charges in 2018 and is expected to be a star witness for the prosecution.
Trump has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels, and his lawyers argue the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and has pleaded not guilty.
He could face up to four years in prison if convicted, though it’s not clear that the judge would opt to put him behind bars.
After the jury was picked Trump stepped outside court and vented his frustration at the trial process, wielding a thick pile of media clippings.
Judge Juan M. Merchan has issued a gag order against Trump which Dershowitz characterized as ‘outrageously unfair’
Former President Donald Trump, seated far left, looks on with Judge Juan Merchan presiding as members of the jury panel answer questions from the jury questionnaire in Manhattan criminal court Thursday
The former president read out some of the headlines which declared the trial was a ‘spectacle and outrage’ and that it showed America was a ‘third world country.’
Flicking through them, he said: ‘The whole world is watching this New York scam. Every single one (of the cuttings), I haven’t seen one that says it is a good trial. It is political. It is a shame.
‘I am sitting here for days now, from morning until night, in that freezing room. Freezing in there. All for this. It is very unfair.’
Several other jurors had to be let go Friday before the box was finalized with the 12 who will determine Trump’s fate.
It highlighted the unprecedented pressures around the first criminal trial ever of a former American president.
One juror to be dismissed was a grandfather and IT consultant who had previously told the court he finds Trump ‘fascinating’.
‘He walks into a room and he sets people off an I find that really interesting,’ the man said during jury selection. ‘One guy can do all this. Wow. He makes things interesting.’
After he was accepted on to the jury on Tuesday details of a possible past arrest came to light.
Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings during jury selection at Manhattan criminal court, Thursday, April 18, 2024 in New York
It was uncovered by lawyers that he may have taken down conservative political posters in the 1990s.
On Thursday, Judge Merchan spoke to the juror for about four minutes and then excused him.
Later, a female juror had ‘conveyed after sleeping on it overnight’ that she ‘had concerns about her ability to be fair and impartial’.
The woman was then brought to court and asked by Judge Merchan to explain herself.
The woman said: ‘Yesterday alone, I had friends, colleagues, and family push things to my phone, questioning my identity as a juror.
‘I don’t believe at this point I can be fair and unbiased and let the outside influence not affect my decision making in the courtroom.’
Judge Merchan said: ‘I’m sorry you went through that’ and excused her.
He added that he anticipates opening statements in the landmark case to be given as early as next week.
The jury selection process has moved more quickly than expected and Trump has complained that Judge Merchan, is ‘rushing’ the trial.
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