'You can see the orange.' Dismissed juror says he couldn't be impartial because he 'satirized' Trump

>>> 32 PAST THE HOUR. BACK WITH BREAKING NEWS. DONALD TRUMP ON DAY THREE OF JURY SELECTION FIRST EVER CRIMINAL TRIAL OF A FORMER PRESIDENT. JOINING US NOW, VAUGHN HILLYARD. VAUGHN, WHAT IS THE LATEST FROM THERE? >> Reporter: YEAH, JOSE, RIGHT NOW THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE IN THE JURY BOX ARE CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH THAT 42 QUESTION QUESTIONNAIRE. WE HAD ANOTHER BATCH OF 96 THAT CAME INTO THE COURTROOM AT 9:30 A.M. EASTERN THIS MORNING. ABOUT 65 OF THEM WERE DISMISSED AFTER SAYING THAT EITHER THEY COULDN'T BE FAIR AND IMPARTIAL OR THEY HAD ANOTHER REASON THAT WOULDN'T ALLOW THEM TO GO FORWARD. WE GOT AN ALLOTMENT OF 39 INDIVIDUALS. INTERESTINGLY YOU COULD SAY TWO HAVE READ ART OF THE DEAL, ONE OF THEM READ MICHAEL COHEN'S BOOK, ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL SAID THAT THEY HAD READ MARK POMERANTZ'S BOOK ABOUT THIS CASE. SO, KIND OF A FASCINATING LOOK INSIDE. I WANT TO LET YOU MEET ANOTHER DISMISSED JUROR HERE, WHO I JUST MET A FEW MOMENTS AGO THIS IS MARK. YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, YOU ROSE YOUR HAND AND YOU SAID YOU WOULD NOT ABLE TO BE FAIR AND IMPARTIAL. HOW DID THAT PLAY OUT? >> WE WERE SUMMONED AND THE JUDGE READ ALL THE PARTICULARS OF THE CASE, HOW ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO EVALUATE THE LAW, AND THE EVIDENCE, AND THEN HE SAID, YOU KNOW, IF THERE IS A REASON THAT YOU DON'T THINK YOU COULD BE IMPARTIAL, OR THAT YOU COULD BE PERCEIVED AS BIASED, THAT YOU SHOULD RAISE YOUR HAND. SO, I RAISED MY HAND BECAUSE I WAS CERTAIN THAT EVEN IF AN INTELLECTUALLY I WOULD BE CAPABLE OF BEING UNBIASED, BECAUSE I SATIRIZED MR. TRUMP OFTEN IN MY ART WORK, THAT THIS WOULD COME TO LIGHT AND THAT WERE I TO BE SEATED ON THE TRIAL, A, IT WOULD BE DISHONEST FOR ME TO WITHHOLD THAT INFORMATION, BUT THERE IS -- THERE WOULD BE NO WAY THAT BLANCH, NOT GOING IS RELY ON THE KIND OF -- KINDNESS OF STRANGERS WOULD ALLOW ME TO BE ON THE JURY. >> WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SAW WITH DONALD TRUMP, WHAT YOU SAW INSIDE THE COURTROOM? >> NOT VERY MUCH. HE WAS A BIT AHEAD OF ME AND OFF TO THE LEFT. I DIDN'T HAVE A COMPLETE VIEW OF HIM TODAY. HE SORT OF IS PLOPPED IN A CHAIR, YOU CAN SEE THE ORANGE. BUT I WAS NOT CLOSE TO HIM. >> DID YOU SEE HIM TURN AROUND AND LOOK AT THE JUROR? >> NO. >> POTENTIAL JURORS AT ANY POINT? >> NO, THERE ARE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE IN THE ROOM AND HE -- I DIDN'T STARE AT HIM THE WHOLE TIME. I GLANCED AT HIM A NUMBER OF TIMES. BUT I DID NOT SEE HIM TURNING AROUND AND LOOKING AT ANYBODY AT THAT POINT. THE NEXT PHASE AS THE JUDGE EXPLAINED IT WOULD BE THAT IF YOU WERE GOING TO BE A POTENTIAL JUROR, THAT WOULD BE MORE OF A QUESTIONNAIRE FOR YOU TO FILL OUT AND THAT YOU WOULD BE INTERVIEWED. I THOUGHT THIS IS RIDICULOUS, THERE IS NO WAY AFTER MY ONLINE PRESENCE WHERE I SATIRIZED THIS MAN AGAIN AND AGAIN THAT I WOULD BE FIT TO -- THEY WOULD REGARD ME AS TO BE FIT TO SERVE AND IT WOULD BE A WASTE OF THEIR TIME. AND FRANKLY, AS A TAXPAYER, OUR MONEY, FOR ME TO CLOG UP THE PROCESS THAT WAY. >> SO YOU'RE AN HONEST MAN AND ROSE YOUR HAND AND HAD YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES THERE FOR THAT QUICK MOMENT. BUT YOU BYPASSED THE POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY TO BE TRY TO BE A JUROR. >> I DID. >> THANK YOU FOR TALKING TO US. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THERE IS A CAST NOW OF DISMISSED JURORS HERE IN NEW YORK CITY HERE THAT CAN SAY THEY SAW DONALD TRUMP FOR THE START OF HIS CRIMINAL TRIAL. BUT AS WE CONTINUE TO MAKE OUR WAY THROUGH,

Channel: MSNBC

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Keywords: José Díaz-Balart, MSNBC, NBC News, nbc, news, news coverage, breaking news, us news, world news, politics, current events, top stories, pop culture, business, health, political news, msnbc live, Donald Trump, Trump, President Trump, Trump jury selection, Trump dismissed juror, Trump trial, Trump hush money trial, Trump hush money, Stormy Daniels

Id: ftypQG5xwu4

Length: 4min 35sec (275 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 18 2024