An Irish emigrant will be the jury foreman during the much anticipated trial of Donald Trump, with the former president accused of falsifying business records and paying hush money to keep stories about his sex life from emerging.
The juror, one of seven picked on the first day of the proceedings, was described in reports as a middle-aged salesman who lives in the West Harlem neighbourhood in Manhattan.
He told the court he receives his news the New York Times, Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC and in his spare time said he enjoys doing “anything outdoorsy.”
He once worked as a waiter but has worked in sales for the last three decades. When questioned about his knowledge of the former president’s other criminal cases, the man responded: “I’ve heard of some of them.”
Jury selection will continue over the course of this week, with opening statements expected to start early next week.
Mr Trump has denied 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of an alleged effort to keep salacious stories from emerging during his successful 2016 campaign.
The charges centre on $130,000 allegedly paid from company accounts to his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen. In turn, Mr Cohen is alleged to have paid the money to stop adult film actor Stormy Daniels from making claims of a sexual encounter with Mr Trump a decade earlier.
