Only seven New Yorkers selected for jury duty in Trump’s trial so far

Over two days, dozens of potential jurors have been excused after saying they could not be impartial in Trump’s hush money trial, according to AP.

Moreover, Trump’s lawyers challenged a handful of people over social media posts, and one person was dismissed over a 2017 post about Trump that said “Lock him up!”

Apparently, it’s been a challenge to find New Yorkers that consider they could make an unbiased decision about the former president, as only seven have been picked so far.

The panelists who were selected are an information technology worker, an English teacher, an oncology nurse, a sales professional, a software engineer and two lawyers, AP reported.

The historic trial centers on a potential sex scandal coverup that took place just days before the 2016 presidential election.

Back then, adult film star Stormy Daniels (pictured) was about to go public with allegations that she had sex with Trump in 2006 at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.

Added to the scandal was the Access Hollywood tape catching Trump on a hot mic speaking about inappropriately touching women, sending panic into his campaign.

Trump’s then personal attorney Michael Cohen (pictured) scrambled to pay Daniels hush money to prevent her from speaking out, the indictment alleges, per CNN, making it the third “catch and kill” deal executed by one of Trump’s allies.

The other two were done by Trump’s friend and former CEO of American Media Inc., the company that published the National Enquirer, David Pecker, according to reports.

In 2015, Pecker’s company paid a Trump Tower doorman $30,000 to keep silent about a “love child” Trump had fathered, although they later found out it was a false story, according to Politico.

On October 27, 2016, Cohen wired the money to Daniels and 12 days later Trump won the election.

Prosecutors alleged that Trump paid Cohen $420,000 through the Trump Organization, noting on the checks to Cohen and in their books that the payments were legal expenses.

Now Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, to which he has pled ‘not guilty’.

If convicted, Judge Juan Merchan, who’s overseeing the trial, could sentence Trump to probation or a maximum sentence of 1 to 4 years on each count in state prison.

Both Trump’s former allies, Michael Cohen and David Pecker will be witnesses testifying against the former president, among, at least 16 others, according to CNN.

Prosecutors need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump falsified business records with the intent to commit or conceal another crime, but they don’t have to prove that Trump committed that crime.

However, outside lawyers who have been following the case closely told CNN Trump is likely to argue that hush money payments are legal and distance himself from the repayment scheme and bookkeeping handled by his employees.

Trump may also testify in his own defense, according to several reports, as he has testified in two recent civil trials. However, the stakes are higher in a criminal case, legal experts say.