Trump Accused Of Intimidating Who?

During a courtroom session on Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan firmly addressed former President Trump, emphasizing his zero-tolerance stance towards any attempts to intimidate jurors. The judge, visibly assertive, rebuked the presumptive GOP presidential nominee for allegedly making remarks during the interrogation of a potential juror.

“I will not tolerate any form of intimidation towards jurors in this courtroom. Let me make that abundantly clear,” declared the New York judge, his tone unwavering.

Directing his attention to one of Trump’s attorneys, Todd Blanche, Merchan urged him to communicate with his client. He cited Trump’s gestures and audible comments made while a prospective juror underwent questioning regarding her social media activity.

Trump, positioned approximately 12 feet away from the juror, drew the judge’s concern, prompting Merchan to instruct Blanche to intervene.

The scrutiny over social media posts surfaced as jurors were vetted, with legal teams seeking to exclude individuals based on their online expressions about political matters.

Notably, Trump’s legal representatives raised objections concerning a potential juror who allegedly shared content on social media depicting celebrations of President Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.

While the woman provided “reasonable explanations” for the posts and affirmed her ability to remain impartial, the judge denied Trump’s team’s request to disqualify her from the jury pool.

Trump faces trial over allegations related to a purported hush-money payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels. This landmark case marks the first instance in U.S. history where a former president stands trial in a criminal court.