'The View' Star Sunny Hostin Worries Trump Supporters Could 'Lie' to Land Jury Spot and Derail Hush Money Trial
The View panelist Sunny Hostin worries that a Donald Trump supporter could "sneak" onto the jury in his hush money trial and derail the case, she said on Tuesday.
April 16 2024, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
The View panelist Sunny Hostin worries that a Donald Trump supporter could "sneak" onto the jury in his hush money trial and derail the case, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Jury selection continued on day two of the historic trial in Manhattan, as Judge Juan Merchan whittled down the potential pool.
Hostin, a former prosecutor, said Tuesday on the morning talk show that while she felt "they will be able to find an impartial jury," she feared "what could happen in a case like this" if a juror were to harbor a hidden bias.
Jury selection continued in Trump's hush money trial in Manhattan on Tuesday.
"You get one person that sneaks onto that jury with untoward feelings, that person can hang that jury," Hostin said.
She also expressed doubt over whether anyone who follows Trump's accounts on social media could actually be impartial. Hostin added that she felt it was "really really important" that the court combed through the potential jurors' social media pages to weed out any prejudice.
When asked by cohost Joy Behar how one would sneak onto a jury, Hostin replied, "You lie. You say, ‘I hate Trump. But I can be impartial.'"
Hostin noted it would likely be impossible to find jurors unfamiliar with the former president, but that it was important for participants to come clean about their views.
“Fifty people said ‘I can’t even be impartial.' I admire them for their forthrightness and their honesty because you have to be honest when you’re a juror," she told her fellow panelists.
Hostin, a vocal Trump opponent, doubts whether anyone who follows the former president's accounts on social media could actually be impartial.
Hostin, a vocal opponent of Trump, added, “They are never going to find someone that doesn’t know about the former twice impeached loser president."
Dozens of jurors have been dismissed since jury selection began on Monday, and by Tuesday afternoon, six jurors had been chosen and 12 slots remained.
RadarOnline.com reported that the former president "smirked" at a potential juror before the man was dismissed over a past social media post celebrating a court's decision to strike down a Trump travel ban.
The man wrote: "Good news!! Trump lost his court battle on his unlawful travel ban!!!," and "Get him out and lock him up," USA Today reported. When questioned by the judge, he said he no longer believed that Trump should be imprisoned.
At that point, "Donald Trump craned his neck toward a potential juror and flashed a smirk," USA Today reporter Aysha Bagchi wrote.
Dozens of jurors have been dismissed from the case so far.
Despite the man's apparent change of heart, the judge dismissed him.
"I don't think that I can allow this juror to remain," the judge said.
Merchan also removed another potential juror from the pool due to their social media activity, which included an AI-generated parody video featuring Trump titled "I'm dumb as f---."
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to pay alleged hush money to Stormy Daniels.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
One juror was allowed to stay under despite Trump’s legal team raising concerns over a video that they described as "clearly an anti-Trump event that she's out celebrating and partying at."
Merchan ruled that it was unclear whether the woman was at the event. She also told the court she "could be fair and impartial," Bagchi reported.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to pornstar Stormy Daniels ahead of his first run for president.
Powered by RedCircle
