Donald Trump showed interest in one potential juror on Friday during continued jury selection for his criminal trial in New York City. The former president
Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records regarding a payment made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential election campaign.
According to a pool report from the trial, Trump showed interest in a possible juror for the alternate pool. The juror was identified as number 647 and the pool report said that Trump looked over at the juror several times as he began speaking.
Newsweek‘s Katherine Fung, who has been inside the courtroom this week, reported that the juror was born and raised in New York and said he reads news publication such as NPR, CNN and C-SPAN.
Curtis Means – Pool/Getty Images/Getty Images
Last April, the former president was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who said Trump “fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.”
Trump has continued to deny any wrongdoing in the case and has said it should be dismissed. New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case, placed Trump under a gag order this month after Trump repeatedly criticized the judge’s daughter and sought to have Merchan recused from the case.
On Thursday, 12 jurors were sworn in after disputes about others from both the prosecution and defense. Five additional seats are yet to be filled for alternate jurors. Newsweek previously reported on the 12 jurors chosen for the case.
Earlier on Friday, Trump spoke to reporters before entering the courtroom and raged against Merchan, saying that the gag order against him should be removed.
“The conflict has to end with the judge. The judge has a conflict, the worst I’ve ever seen, and it has to end with the judge,” Trump said. “The judge has to take off this gag order, it’s very, very unfair that my constitutional rights have been taken away.”
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s spokesperson via email for comment.
Trump addressed the media as he walked out of court early Thursday evening, shortly after the jury was seated.
“I’m supposed to be in New Hampshire, I’m supposed to be in Georgia, I’m supposed to be in North Carolina, South Carolina,” Trump said. “I’m supposed to be in a lot of different places campaigning, but I’ve been here all day on a trial that really is a very unfair trial.”
Trump may have further legal issues this month when arguments are heard for possible violations of the gag order.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.