


An attorney for former President Donald Trump told him to put away his phone after he reportedly took a call at the defense table during the first hour of his criminal trial on Thursday.
Multiple reporters in the New York County Criminal Court noticed Trump was taking a phone call from the defense table as jury selection was underway and problems emerged with currently seated jurors.
Attorney Todd Blanche told Trump to stop using his phone, prompting the former president to tuck it into his pocket while looking annoyed, according to NBC News.
Shortly after Judge Juan Merchan took the bench at 9:24 a.m. local time, one juror was excused from duty after she expressed concerns about intimidation by the media. She said she had second thoughts about being able to be impartial.
Another seated juror was questioned on Thursday for apparently not being forthcoming on a questionnaire, revealing the challenges in predicting when the final slate of 12 jurors and six alternates will be empaneled.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
If several more days pass before opening statements can happen in the case, the delay could create the risk of more of them dropping out as they think about the gravity of the case they will have to consider.
Another group of 96 possible jurors was brought into the court as the trial resumed on Thursday. Merchan asked them to raise their hand if they couldn’t be fair and impartial, and 48 were excused.