NEW YORK CITY (NewsNation) — Jury selection begins Monday in the hush money criminal case against former President Donald Trump in New York City, a trial his daughter-in-law is calling “ludicrous.”
The case revolves around payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels aimed at concealing an alleged sexual encounter with Donald Trump, who was then a presidential candidate in the 2016 election.
A group of 12 people — Trump’s peers, in the eyes of the law — will be chosen to decide whether the former president of the United States is guilty of a crime.
Donald Trump has denied wrongdoing, framing the case as a partisan, political hit job led by Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. In a Truth Social post days before the trial began, Trump decried the trial as “Election Interference at its Best.”
‘We know the truth’: Lara Trump
Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, called the charges against the former president “ludicrous,” saying Monday on “Morning in America” that their family knows the truth and there has been no wrongdoing.
She also said it is unclear whether the former president will be taking the stand to testify at trial.
A Trump campaign official said they will take advantage of days off from court on Wednesdays and weekends. Trump is already slated to attend a fundraiser Saturday in North Carolina.
‘Election interference’: Donald Trump
The trial means Donald Trump’s legal troubles and his 2024 White House campaign will collide.
While the former president is set to spend four days a week in court for the next several weeks, his campaign is planning to use virtual appearances, in-person campaign stops on the weekends and an expected flood of media attention on the proceedings to sustain enthusiasm among supporters in the face of what Republicans have decried as a partisan ploy to prevent him from running again.
The Hill contributed to this report.