The jury in Donald Trump’s rape case was sworn in today after being asked whether they were followers of QAnon or the Communist party.
The panel of six men and three women will decide whether the former president sexually assaulted journalist E. Jean Carroll at a Manhattan Department store in the mid 1990s.
Trump was not in court and it is unclear if he will be called to testify by his own side.
During jury selection, they were asked if they were supporters of a range of groups including Antifa, The Ku Klux Klan, The Communist Party of the United States, QAnon and far right groups The Proud Boys, Boogaloo Boys and The Oath Keepers which were all involved in the Jan 6th riot at the US Capitol.
None of the prospective jurors at the court in New York raised their hands.
The jury was sworn in today in the trial between author E. Jean Carroll and Donald Trump
The panel of six men and three women will decide whether the former president sexually assaulted journalist E. Jean Carroll at a Manhattan Department store in the mid 1990s. E. Jean Carroll and Judge Kaplan are seen in a court sketch
Among the other questions asked was whether they had watched The Apprentice – a third of the jurors said yes – or if they had signed up to Truth Social, Trump’s social media company – nobody had.
The panel were asked whether they thought that last election was ‘stolen’ – nobody raised their hands – and what the jurors thought about the MeToo movement.
A fifth of the 48 jurors in court at the start of the jury selection process said they couldn’t be unbiased after being given a summary of the case.
One woman who asked to be excused appeared extremely nervous and held her hand up to her face.
Among those excluded from the jury was a mother-of-five who was married to a minister who said that she watched Fox News and agreed with the idea that Trump had been ‘treated unfairly by the press’.
A man who claimed he was wrongly accused of sexual harassment at work was not chosen to serve.
Trump’s jury includes a black man who works at the New York Public Library, a black retired physical therapist and a college dropout who works as a security guard.
Trump was represented by Joe Tacopina, the barrel-chested attorney who is representing him in the criminal case brought by the Manhattan District Attorney, and five other attorneys
The hearing is taking place amid heightened security with people entering the court going through security to enter the building and a secondary airport style screening outside the courtroom.
Everyone including lawyers for both sides had to go back through the secondary security even if they popped out to the bathroom.
Judge Lewis Kaplan warned both sides to ‘refrain from making statements that are likely to incite violence or civil unrest’.
Judge Kaplan said they should ‘refrain from engaging in conduct that has the potential to jeopardize the safety or well being of any individuals or the rule of law.’
Trump was represented by Joe Tacopina, the barrel-chested attorney who is representing him in the criminal case brought by the Manhattan District Attorney, and five other attorneys.
Carroll was represented by Roberta Kaplan, who has been the lawyer for numerous high profile sex assault cases, and four other lawyers.
Opening arguments were due to take place this afternoon.
The case is expected to last at least a week.
Carroll, 79, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, has said that she kept quiet about her experience for decades but spoke out after Trump, 76, became president
Protesters are pictured outside of Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday
Carroll claims that Trump forced himself upon her in the changing room of Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-90s.
She sued him for battery in a civil case in New York’s federal court.
Trump, who was a no-show this morning, has denied the claims and said that Carroll made them to boost sales of her 2019 memoir.
Trump’s lawyers have said he ‘wishes to appear’ but is worried about the security and traffic headache it would cause.
Earlier this month Trump brought lower Manhattan to a standstill when he was arraigned on separate criminal charges for allegedly falsifying business records.
The case brought by Carroll was filed under a New York state law opening a one-year window for adult victims of sexual assault to file civil cases after the statute of limitations has expired.
Carroll, 79, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, has said that she kept quiet about her experience for decades but spoke out after Trump, 76, became president.
She claims that ‘playful banter took a dark turn’ when he ‘forced her up against a dressing room wall, pinned her in place with his shoulder, and raped her,’ according to the complaint.
After a chance meeting at Bergdorf’s, Carroll claims Trump offered to buy her lingerie but then followed her into the changing room.
The complaint states: ‘Trump lunged at Carroll, pushing her against the wall, bumping her head quite badly, and putting his mouth on her lips.
‘Carroll shoved him back. Utterly shocked by Trump’s unexpected attack, Carroll burst out in awkward laughter. She could hardly process the insanity of the situation. She also hoped, at least at first, that laughter would bruise his ego and cause him to retreat.’
Instead he allegedly ‘seized both of her arms’ and pinned her against the wall as he pulled down her tights and allegedly forced himself upon her.
Bergdorf Goodman (above) is only a block away from Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue
Donald Trump in 1987 with his first wife, Ivana, rape accuser E. Jean Carroll and Carroll’s then-husband
Trump would have been married to Marla Maples at the time of the alleged rape. Maples had given birth to daughter Tiffany in 1993 (above)
Carroll filed a separate defamation lawsuit against Trump over statements he made about the case while he was still president.
His social media posts include calling the case a ‘complete con job’ and ‘totally false’.
In one post he said: ‘While I am not supposed to say it, I will. This woman is not my type.’
Judge Lewis Kaplan has ruled that the jury could view the infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump boasted about grabbing women by their private parts to Billy Bush in 2005.
The jury will also hear from two other women who claim that Trump sexually assaulted them and two of Carroll’s friends who she supposedly told about the incident.
The jurors are to be anonymous to protect them from media attention and harassment by Trump’s supporters, the judge has ruled.
Court documents already made public have shown that in a sworn deposition Trump mistakenly identified Carroll as his ex-wife Marla Maples after being shown a photo of the journalist.
It has also been revealed that Carroll’s lawsuit is in part being funded by the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman, who has sharply criticized Trump.
The defamation case has been postponed pending a ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit which is considering whether Trump made the remarks as part of his job as president, meaning they would be protected.
Trump is also facing an investigation by prosecutors in Georgia into whether he interfered with the 2020 election.
A special counsel is looking into whether he illegally retained classified documents after leaving the White House and the falsifying business documents case in New York is expected to go to trial early next year.
Judge Lewis Kaplan has ruled that the jury could view the infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump boasted about grabbing women by their private parts to Billy Bush in 2005
Lisa Birnbach (left), the bestselling author of The Official Preppy Handbook, and former WCBS television anchor Carol Martin (right) corroborated Carroll’s story in video testimony
In March, lawyers for Carroll secretly staged a test trial in a Manhattan hotel to determine how their upcoming civil case will play out with everyday New Yorkers, DailyMail.com previously revealed.
After six hours of testimony, the 27 mock jurors were separated into three groups for deliberations.
Two out of three found Trump guilty.
The day-long spectacle featured videotaped deposition interviews from both Trump and Carroll, as well as two friends she spoke with in the immediate aftermath of the alleged rape, and two other women who claim Trump also sexually assaulted them.
The lawyers also presented text messages and emails that Trump’s defense team is expected to present at trial to try to undermine Carroll’s credibility.
‘That was the whole point of this,’ a person familiar with the proceedings told DailyMail.com. ‘They were trying to figure if Mrs. Carroll has a solid case and if she will win in civil court.’
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk