Jury selection was completed Friday in Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial, with six alternates now selected in addition to the 12-member regular jury.
The selection got off to a slow start on Monday, increased by seven jurors on Tuesday, shrunk to five on Thursday morning, but then ended the day with the full regular jury and one alternate.
The finalization of the jury on Friday paves the way for opening statements on Monday. Following these statements, prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office will call their first witness. It is up to the prosecutor to prove his case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying company records. Bragg claims Trump distorted these records to cover up the payback to his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who paid Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election to keep her silent about a past affair she said she had with Trump . The defendant – and suspected Republican Party candidate – also denies the affair.
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This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
