Former US President Donald Trump is currently inside a Manhattan, New York, courthouse as his criminal trial into hush-money payments gets under way with jury selection, a process that could last days.
Trump is set to answer to a 34-felony count indictment brought by Manhattan’s District Attorney Alvin Bragg in relation to payments made to an adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the run-up to the 2016 election.
The Republican frontrunner for President in this year’s November election is charged with falsifying business records to cover up the 130-thousand-dollar payment to the porn star in return for her silence over a sexual encounter she claimed to have had with Trump a decade earlier.
Trump denies Stormy Daniels’ claims of a sexual encounter and describes the trial as part of a broad conspiracy by Democrats against him to hurt his chances of reelection later this year.
He’s pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Small groups of supporters and protestors have gathered outside the courthouse.
Judge Juan Merchan also denied a request by Trump’s lawyers asking him to recuse himself in relation to his daughter’s work as a political consultant for prominent Democrats.
The first order of business for the court is to select 12 jurors and six alternates who will weigh the evidence in the trial.
