A criminal law expert has expressed surprise that prosecutors have allowed two lawyers onto the Donald Trump jury in New York.
Only seven jurors have been chosen so far—and two of them are corporate attorneys.
The prosecution will try to prove that, before the 2016 presidential election, Trump paid two women—adult film star Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal—not to reveal his alleged affairs with them.
Randall Eliason, a former federal prosecutor, wrote that attorneys may feel they know better than a prosecutor.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Eliason, a former federal prosecutor, noted that there are two lawyers on the Trump jury thus far.
Donald Trump leaves following the second day of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 16, 2024 in New York City. Two corporate lawyers have been selected… More
“I’m a little surprised prosecutors would keep two attorneys on the jury in this case. My sense is that might favor the defense; attorneys might be more likely to accept a defense like lack of intent when the facts are otherwise clear,” he said.
“OTOH maybe with a Manhattan jury pool there tends to be a high number of lawyers and you need to save your strikes for more serious concerns. Or maybe the Manhattan DA’s office has a different experience and folklore.”