The process of silence Donald Trump is ongoing, and the inclusion of two lawyers on the panel prompted comments from the former president’s former attorney, Timothy Parlatorewho described the move as “very unusual”.
What happened: Parlatore discussed the unique situation of having lawyers on the jury during an interview on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” on Wednesday. He stressed that the presence of lawyers on the jury could be advantageous or disadvantageous, depending on the specifics of the case, The Hill reported.
The trial, which began Monday in Manhattan, has so far selected seven jurors from a pool of 96 potential candidates over two days. The jurors chosen include a corporate lawyer from Chelsea, Oregon, and a civil litigator from the Upper East Side, North Carolina.
See also: Republican mega-donor’s son offers support to incumbent president in Biden vs. Battle of Trump
Parlatore expressed concern that an attorney on the jury could exert considerable influence over the rest of the jury. The jury selection process, which is unfolding faster than expected, will continue Thursday. The trial requires a total of 12 jurors and at least six alternates.
“The problem with having a lawyer on the jury is that he can be a very loud voice and influence the rest of the jury,” Trump’s former lawyer said.
Former President Trump is on trial on charges of illegally concealing a hush money payment made to suppress an alleged affair before the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty and denied the affair.
Because matter: The trial, which began April 15, has attracted a lot of attention, with the jury selection process and the social media accounts of potential candidates taking center stage.
The trial is expected to last at least six weeks and has already sparked reactions from members of Congress and talk show hosts.
On the first day of the trial, Trump claimed he was being politically persecuted, a claim the judge did not accept.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock.com
Read next: Scaramucci, ‘one-time Trump’, warns former president’s re-election would result in ‘American fascism’ and be ‘very bad’ for business: ‘He wants to be a North American autocrat’
Designed by
Benzinga NeuroBy
Shivdeep Dhaliwal
The GPT-4-based Benzinga Neuro content generation system leverages Benzinga’s extensive ecosystem, including native data, APIs, and more to create rich, timely stories for you. Learn more.