NEW YORK TIMES
On Monday morning, a Manhattan jury will hear opening statements in People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump, the first criminal prosecution of a former U.S. president.
It is the next phase of a criminal trial that will unfold like any other — even though it has a defendant like no other.
The trial began last week, when Justice Juan M. Merchan led the selection of 12 jurors and six alternates sworn to be fair and impartial to the former president as they consider charges that he falsified records to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment to a porn star. Mr. Trump, the prosecutors say, authorized the payoff of the porn star, Stormy Daniels, to silence her story of a sexual encounter with him.
The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, argues that this deal was part of a larger scheme to suppress negative stories about Mr. Trump leading up to the 2016 election. He charged him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies having sex with Ms. Daniels.
Opening statements will be the jury’s first chance to hear the case laid out plainly in front of them.
The statements will most likely take up the bulk of Monday’s court day, after which both sides will begin to call witnesses. The prosecution will question them about their recollection of key events and use their testimony to introduce other evidence in the form of documents.
The defense will then have the chance to cross-examine witnesses to discredit their testimony.
