Donald Trump is accused of falsifying his company's accounting records to hide a payment to a porn actress, Stormy Daniels, in 2016. He could be sentenced to up to four years in prison, although under the US Constitution he could still be elected and even govern from prison.
Trump's lawyers are seeking to recruit police officers, firefighters and members of security forces, who are more likely to vote for Republicans in a city like New York that is largely Democratic. "We want justice to be done, that's all we want," the judge told jurors, adding that the trial is an "attack on the United States" and "political persecution" The hearing began with the jury selection process, a group of 12 citizens, plus another 6 alternates, who will be in charge of listening to the parties and all the witnesses in the case and will decide whether Trump is guilty or innocent. The Republican candidate, 77, has denied having sexual encounters with Daniels, now 45 years old, whose real name is Stephanie Gliffords.