One of worst presidents in this nation’s history is making history again: Trump is now the first former leader to undergo a criminal trial. On Monday, the jury selection for his highly anticipated hush money trial began. He is currently facing four criminal indictments as well as a civil lawsuit.
Could this be the trial of the century? The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, is one of the case’s most prominent figures. Bragg has charged Mr. Trump with 34 felonies, accusing him of falsifying documents to hide a sex scandal involving porn star Stormy Daniels. Due to the nature of the case, salacious details of Trump’s personal life will be revealed.
In addition, the more of trial’s biggest players consist of: former publisher of The National Enquirer David Pecker, former editor of The National Enquirer Dylan Howard, former Playboy model Karen McDougal (who alleged she had an affair with Trump), Daniels’ attorney Keith Davidson and former Trump spokesperson Hope Hicks who is believed to have information about the hush money payment.
According to Judge Juan M. Merchan, one of the biggest challenges will be finding jury members who can be impartial during the proceedings. “The ultimate issue is whether the prospective jurors can assure us that they will set aside any personal feelings or biases and render a decision that is based on the evidence and the law,” Merchan stated in a filing from April 8.
Of course, Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying records to keep details from his sexual escapades from coming out during his 2016 election campaign. This trial in particular focuses on $130,000 in payments that Trump’s company made to his former lawyer Michael Cohen.
Prosecutors believe the money that was given to Cohen was falsely identified as legal fees to cover up what it was really for. However, Trump’s attorneys insist that the cash was indeed for legal fees—not part of some elaborate cover-up.
If Trump is found guilty, he could receive up to four years in prison. There is also the possibility that he receives a no-jail time sentence as well. Trump’s legal team tried their best to get the hush money case dismissed as well as delay it, with several last-minute appeals court hearing occurring last week.
Trump’s legacy includes mishandling Covid, being impeached twice, insisting that the 2020 election was stolen, inciting the January 6 attack on the Capitol and being the first former president to undergo a criminal trial. Somehow, he remains the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination—which shouldn’t even be a reality for the disgraced mogul.