12:14 p.m. ET, January 16, 2024
Some prospective jurors say they’ve made political contributions to Trump or his opponents
Several prospective jurors in the jury pool in Donald Trump’s defamation trial say they made political contributions either to Trump and groups supporting him or his political opponents.
Judge Lewis Kaplan asked the potential jurors questions about possible biases in the trial to decide how much money in damages Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll for his 2019 defamatory statements about Carroll’s sexual assault allegations.
Three people in the courtroom said they contributed money to Trump’s campaign or a group supporting him. All three said that wouldn’t affect their ability to fair and impartial.And at least 10 prospective jurors said they contributed money to President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or groups supporting the Democratic politicians.
Where the jury selection process stands: A decision on whether any of these potential jurors will be excused has not yet been made, as the jury selection process is ongoing.
Five jurors were dismissed so far. Three said they did not believe they could be fair in the trial, while another two said their ability to be fair would be affected by what they had heard or read about legal cases, criminal investigations and indictments against Trump.
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