Posted on 04/17/2024 8:13:59 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
A juror who was excused from serving on the Manhattan trial of former President Donald Trump provided details about the questions potential jurors were asked.
Kara McGee told media outlets outside the courtroom on Tuesday that she was dismissed but said she believes she could be impartial, adding still that it would be “very difficult for anyone really in this country to not come to this without prior opinions.”
“We all have prior opinions on the defendant, unless you’ve been living in a cardbox,” she said, adding that she was excused because of her job in the cybersecurity sector.
Regarding her personal feelings on President Trump, the woman said, “I’m not a fan.” The main reason why, she said, is because of how she believed he handled the COVID-19 pandemic response.
But Ms. McGee provided some insight on the questions that were asked of the jurors.
“One of which is: Do you have opinions about the ability for a former sitting president to be tried in a court of law? Which I think the way people answered that showed how they felt about case,” she said. “The other one was: Do you have any opinions about legal limits for campaign finance donation amounts? Which I believe was another one that was kinda meant to gauge feelings about the particular case,” she added.
As of Wednesday morning, seven jurors have been selected with five more slots remaining. The judge has indicated that he will choose about six extra jurors to serve as backups.
This is one of the prospective jurors who assured us she could be unbiased in the Trump trial.
She was dismissed due to scheduling conflicts. But she said this, while also assuring the court that she could have remained objective and unbiased. pic.twitter.com/2D4cp2WdBc— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) April 17, 2024
Responding to the jury-selection process, President Trump wrote on Wednesday: “I thought STRIKES were supposed to be ‘unlimited’ when we were picking our jury? I was then told we only had 10, not nearly enough when we were purposely given the 2nd Worst Venue in the Country. Don’t worry, we have the First Worst also, as the Witch Hunt continues!”
The former president is on trial for allegedly falsifying payments that were made during the 2016 campaign meant to bury potentially negative stories about him. Prosecutors say that he delivered $130,000 to former lawyer Michael Cohen to deal with a story about an alleged affair with adult actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, which the former president has denied.
In court papers, President Trump’s lawyers have argued that the payments were legitimate expenses. He’s pleaded not guilty to the charges, which are felonies, and said it’s an attempt to denigrate his 2024 presidential chances.
Before entering the court on Tuesday, President Trump described the judge, Juan Merchan, as a “Trump-hating” official who “shouldn’t be on this case.” Earlier, he said that the judge is “conflicted” because his daughter works as a consultant for the Democratic Party and has had high-profile clients including Vice President Kamala Harris.
“It’s a trial that is being looked upon and looked at all over the world ... they’re looking at, analyzing it. Every legal pundit, every legal scholar said this trial is a disgrace,” the former president added.
The judge has refused to recuse himself in the case. On Monday, Judge Merchan again said he wouldn’t recuse himself and added that the matter will not be considered again until an appeals court renders a decision.
Also Monday, Judge Merchan told President Trump that he has to show up in court every day it’s in session, adding that “there will be an arrest” if he doesn’t. It means that the former president will not be able to hold many campaign events, including in many key battleground states, for the next several weeks.
The former president visited a New York City bodega where a man was stabbed to death, with the aides saying he chose the store because it has been the site of a violent attack on an employee, a case that resulted in public criticism for the Democratic district attorney, Alvin Bragg, now prosecuting him.
The visit was President Trump’s first campaign appearance since his criminal hush money trial began, making the presumptive GOP nominee the first former president in U.S. history to stand criminal trial.
“They want law and order ... every week they’re being robbed,” the former president said of businesses in New York, as he tried to compare his prosecution with what happens on New York streets. “You know where the crime is? It’s in the bodegas.”
“Papito Trump is coming. Yeah!” said one passerby ahead of the former president’s arrival. Another woman who spoke to The Associated Press said that the former president “speaks the truth,” making reference to illegal immigration. “I think that he will make a difference,” she added.
“I love this city,” the former president told reporters after emerging from the store. “We’re going to straighten New York out.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
You have to be doing a lot of recreational drugs to actually think President Trump has a shot at a fair and unbiased trial in New Yawk. ROTFLMAO. Idiots.
“I thought STRIKES were supposed to be ‘unlimited’ when we were picking our jury? I was then told we only had 10...”
I am not sure about unlimited, but a defense should have far more than ten strikes.
We only NEED ONE of those jurors with the balls to have lied on the jury questionnaire to get on the jury and throw a fork in the whole damn mess!! I am PRAYING everyday that God places just ONE person with courage on this jury!!
If he had resisted the path he took, the Media and their Democrats would have pinned EVERY death on him - and they would have made sure there were A LOT.
It was a brilliant trap.
NOT THE Point... Obviously.. NYC loves Trump
The criminal is Joe.. This Trump hunt and destroy angers me. That the republicans in congress let the dems do this to Trump, and let them run the government by communistic control.. You in Washington.. Control is not yours.
Under Federal campaign law, if that money arguably could have another purpose, such as protecting a company’s brand or protecting the family, then it’s not campaign money.
The current DOJ under this regime has so weaponized and politicized the Department of Justice that DOJ will arrest political opponents for crossing the street.
Even they wouldn’t take this case.
🤣🤣. Trump gets free time to Campain in New York.
“We only NEED ONE of those jurors with the balls to have lied on the jury questionnaire to get on the jury and throw a fork in the whole damn mess!! I am PRAYING everyday that God places just ONE person with courage on this jury”!!
Yes!!
But I’m afraid all the jurors will be told that under no circumstances should they not vote Guilty....or else.
These evil people are playing for keeps.
But, as you say, one will be brave enough to do the right thing.
As it was Fauci made sure there were a whole lot of deaths that could have been avoided!! THEN the ticker counts on EVERY DAMN news channel this was done deliberately out of the gate to get rid of Trump!! To them the end justified the means, this government is PURE EVIL I would have never believed I would see this in my lifetime or EVER believed our government was capable of this BUT I DO NOW!! I don’t believe ONE WORD coming out of DC, NOT ONE WORD!!! J6 was a TOTAL set up by our government people’s lives DESTROYED rotting in prison ALL done intentionally by our government!! We have gone WAY PAST voting our way out of this WAY PAST IT!! Just ask JFK and RFK, with social media now it would be much harder for them to accomplish the same thing unscathed or it would have been done already!! BANK ON IT!!
I know Seek bolded this part without comment, but the author lost me right here.
The charges were not felonies, they were misdemeanors that were converted into felonies via dubious means. Bragg still hasn't told anybody what the federal violation was that justifies his reviving dead misdemeanor charges.
-PJ
I will vote for Trump regardless.
If he’s a felon from this insane clown sideshow sham trial, I will vote for a felon.
If they take his name off the ballot I will write it in.
Ding! Ding! Your post is a winner. Well said!
From what little I’ve seen, strikes without a reason are limited, but that might be according to the type or location of the case.
Thar will depend on the jury instructions. If the judge allows the question whether Trump had another purpose for paying the money - and Trump demonstrates that he did, the jury should acquit. If the judge doesn’t allow it, and he loses the case, it may be grounds to appeal. And if I recall correctly, the money was used to purchase the story rights from the woman - to prevent her from telling it her way to media companies and giving him control over how the story is told. If true he could in theory sell the story to a made for stream movie thus proving the payment was an investment not a campaign matter.
I thought I read somewhere just recently that there was an email by her denying there even was an affair...
Something between her and Cohen.
Seems like that would be a mighty big wrench in the gears...
“Do you have opinions about the ability for a former sitting president to be tried in a court of law?“
The problem here is that we are talking about a Court of Law, we are talking about the dismissal and destruction of Law.
I thought STRIKES were supposed to be ‘unlimited’ when we were picking our jury?
Nobody thinks that. Of course there is a limit. lol.
I mean, jurors had to complete a 42 page questionnaire. If Trump’s lawyers are worth their weight in salt, they should have easily been able to pick the right ones to serve on the jury.
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