Push Admin

Fil-Ams in NY cheer, jeer start of Trump hush money trial

The first day of the hush money trial of former U.S. president Donald Trump in New York ends with no jurors selected for the proceeding.

Article (news)

Don Tagala

TFC News

<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ySK9NN7x8QI?&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;themeRefresh=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>The historic criminal trial of former U.S. president Donald Trump officially got underway in New York on Monday.It’s the first time in American history that a former U.S. president appeared in court for a felony.Trump was charged by Manhattan’s district attorney with 34 counts of Class E felony for falsifying business documents to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.The payment was supposedly made in exchange for Daniels’ silence about an extra-marital sexual encounter with Trump before the 2016 elections.Trump was required to attend the whole duration of the trial and appeared in court as the jury selections began.  &quot;Nothing like this has never happened before,&quot; he said after the hearing. &quot;It should never have been brought. It doesn’t deserve anything like this. There is no case.&quot;But on Day One of the trial, half of the nearly 100 potential jurors were dismissed as they admitted they could not be impartial in arriving at a judgment on the former president.Justice Juan Merchan reiterated that jurors must set aside any biases or personal feelings about the defendant or the case, which include political orientation.  Both sides are seeking 12 jurors and six alternates to hear what could be the only criminal case against Trump before the elections in November.Outside the New York Criminal Court building, a smaller than usual crowd gathered to express their sentiments about the day.Filipino-American immigration lawyer Emmanuel Tipon said he came all the way from Honolulu in Hawaii to show his support for Trump – now once more the Republican presidential nominee.&quot;They can do what they want, but eventually he will be acquitted,&quot; said Tipon. &quot;You cannot persecute a man for doing what he allegedly did. Nobody was killed, nobody was hurt, nobody was prejudiced. So, why should they do that to him?&quot;The Ilocano lawyer also said he would like to let justice take its course.Anti-trump activist Marni Halasa, meanwhile, showed up in her hush money payment costume. The FilAm activist founded a theatrical protest group called “Revolution is Sexy.”&quot;I think it is pretty historic,&quot; she said. &quot;I&#x27;m not sure that the hush money will rise to a level as a felony. I would like it to because [I&#x27;d] I have to endure four more years of Donald Trump like bigotry, hate speech, tax breaks for the wealthy, money for endless wars.&quot;Falsifying records to influence an election in the U.S. is punishable by up to four years in prison.But Halasa said that while a guilty verdict on Trump would not bar him from office, it could be a double-edged sword come November.&quot;I think New Yorkers are going to be like, &#x27;well, wait a minute, he&#x27;s going to be convicted. That would look bad, but [that] only makes them, makes people want to vote for him more,&quot; the activist added.Opening statements and testimonies will follow after the jury selection and the proceedings are expected to last through May or June.

The first day of the hush money trial of former U.S. president Donald Trump in New York ends with no jurors selected for the proceeding.