Dog dad and best man: The excuses potential jurors are using to get out of trying Trump
On the second day of the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president, not a single juror has yet been selected to help decide Donald Trump's fate in his New York hush money trial, where he faces 34 charges related to the falsification of business records.
So far, the dismissed jurors have cited their jobs, their political views, busy schedules — and even their dogs as reasons for not being able to continue.
According to The Independent, the main reason New Yorkers couldn't continue was that the trial, which is expected to last anywhere from six to eight weeks, will conflict with their busy schedules.
One man who was excused said he was going to be the best man at a wedding, adding that the trial would likely be a "strain" on his personal life. Another man said he would have no one else to care for his dog if he were to serve on the jury.
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Family obligations also played a role.
One man said that he has "no spare time," adding that "my hobby is my family."
Other potential jurors said they would not be able to remain impartial when it comes to deciding Trump's innocence or guilt.
On Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass told potential jurors that he doesn't expect them "to be living under a rock for the last eight years or last 30 years," but added that “this case is about whether [Trump] broke the law."
Many jurors were upfront about their inability to remain impartial in the face of Trump.
“I’m not 100 percent that I can be fair," The Independent reported one person saying.
“After having more time and thinking about it and reading the questions, I don’t think I can be impartial," the person said.