Attorneys to present opening statements
After a week-long selection process, the jurors in Donald Trump's New York hush money case are scheduled to hear opening statements this morning in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president.
To prove their case, lawyers for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg need to convince twelve jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump repeatedly falsified records to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election.
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"This case has nothing to do with your personal politics or your feelings about a particular political issue," prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told prospective jurors on Thursday. "It's not a referendum on the Trump presidency, a popularity contest, or any indication of who you plan to vote for this fall. This case is about whether this man broke the law."
Trump's lawyers are expected to focus their efforts on going after the credibility of prosecution witnesses, suggesting the case itself is politically motivated and arguing that the former president never intended to commit a crime.