Trump called the “scam” proceedings a “political witch hunt”
(Image credit: Jabin Botsford-Pool / Getty Images)
What happenedFormer President Donald Trump was in court Monday for the first day of his historic criminal trial over hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels. Monday’s hearing was largely focused on jury selection but Judge Juan Merchan also ruled that prosecutors can’t play Trump’s infamous “Access Hollywood” footage during trial and agreed to hear arguments that Trump violated a judicial gag order.
Who said whatMerchan told prospective jurors that “in substance” Trump is accused of having “falsified business records to conceal an agreement to unlawfully influence” the 2016 election. Trump, outside the courtroom, said the “scam” proceedings are a “political witch hunt.”
Trump is “required to attend proceedings each day of the trial” and was reminded that failure to do so could result in arrest, CBS News said. Trump’s legal team had requested permission to attend a hearing in another of his trials and go to his son’s high school graduation.
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What next?Jury selection will continue for at least another week. No jurors were picked Monday.
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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion’s news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.