A New York judge vetted nearly a hundred prospective jurors in former President Donald Trump‘s hush money trial on Monday, but more than half of them were excused because they said they lacked impartiality.
The first day of the first-ever criminal trial of a former president ended with 32 prospective jurors left as Judge Juan Merchan, defense attorneys, and prosecutors continued the process of whittling down a pool of randomly selected Manhattan-area residents to serve on a 12-seat bench.
Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has charged the former president with falsifying business records after his 2016 election, were both present, according to a pool of six reporters inside the courtroom. Trump’s presence is required every day for the trial, which is expected to last roughly until the end of May.
The prospective jurors in the case underwent an initial…
