Jury selection begins in Manhattan DA trial against Trump Organization

Jury selection begins Monday in the criminal case against the Trump Organization, which is accused of tax fraud and other offenses by the Manhattan DA's office.

The indictment alleged that executives "received substantial portions of their income through indirect and disguised means, with compensation that was unreported or misreported" by the company so the employees could report lower earnings to tax authorities.  The indictment also claimed that the company failed to withhold  taxes on wages, salaries, and other forms of compensation and then evaded paying payroll taxes related to certain employee compensation.

Judge Juan Manuel Merchan expects the trial to last at least four weeks following jury selection, due to the amount of expected evidence from financial records and expert witnesses, which can take a lot of time to present. Jury selection itself could also take weeks, if attorneys have trouble finding impartial jurors given that Trump has many passionate supporters and critics. Jurors cannot be eliminated for their political preferences or for disapproving of the former president, but they can be stricken if a party believes they cannot be fair or impartial.