April 22 (UPI) — Donald Trump is back in court Monday as opening statements are set to begin in the Manhattan hush money trial.
The prosecution expects to deliver its opening statement for about 40 minutes. Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche estimated the defense’s opening statement will take about 25 minutes.
Judge Juan Merchan said court will dismiss at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Trump is accused of falsifying business records in an attempt to hide payments he made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an affair. He is also accused of executing a “catch and kill” scheme to bury negative stories about him as he campaigned for president in 2016.
The prosecution is tasked with proving to the jury that these allegations are true beyond a reasonable doubt.
The former president has continued to lash out over the case, including on his way into the courtroom Monday morning. He repeated his claim that the case is “election interference” and called it “unfair.” He has remarked several times that the cases against him are interfering with his ability to campaign for president.
Merchan set the beginning of opening statements following a prolonged jury selection process that saw dozens of potential jurors dismissed last week.
Some members of the jury have remained anxious about the high-profile trial. Merchan said Monday that one juror who was concerned about the media attention surrounding the trial will remain on the jury. Some potential jurors expressed fear about serving, while others were dismissed after saying they did not feel they could be impartial.
Trump has also continued to voice criticism about the gag order against him that bars him from speaking about those involved in the trial. Merchan issued a gag order against Trump over comments he was making on the campaign trail and on social media. Merchan was also concerned about Trump intimidating witnesses and jurors.
Judges and prosecutors have received threats across multiple cases involving the former president.