Thursday, May 30, 2024 will remembered as the first time in U.S. history that a former president was convicted on criminal charges.
After two days of deliberation, a jury found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr.'s hush money/falsified business records trial. Justice Juan Merchan set July 11 — only four days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee — as the sentencing date.
The following morning, CNN's Kate Bolduan discussed the verdict with jury consultant Robert Hirschhorn — who praised the jurors for their service and slammed Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) for attacking them.
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When Bolduan mentioned that Vance, after the verdict, criticized "the partisan slant of this jury poll," Hirschhorn responded, "Shame on him. Listen, these jurors, they didn't volunteer for this job. They were asked to serve their country, to serve their community. And the two ways we serve our country and our community is by serving on juries and voting."
The jury consultant continued, "This jury did their job. They didn't decide this case based on a D or an R — they decided this case based on the evidence. And the evidence was overwhelming to this jury. I mean, if you're keeping score, the score is Trump, 0 — truth, justice and democracy, 34, Kate."
Merchan, after the verdict, told the jurors that whether they decide for or against speaking publicly about the case is totally up to them.
When Bolduan asked Hirschhorn, from his experience, whether the jurors should "speak out" or not, he responded, "Look, it's a deeply personal decision. There's a lot of people that are going to be trying to knock down their door or knock on their door to try to get them to talk. They're gonna get hounded kind of like the way, you know, Stormy (Daniels) has been hounded ever since she testified. By the way, she did a great job as a witness."
Hirschorn continued, "Look, these jurors have to make the decision. I think they want to explain to the American people how they reached the verdict."
The consultant said of the jurors, "Their lives are changed forever."
Bolduan also asked Hirschorn if he "fears for the safety" of the jurors given "the state of politics today," and he responded, "Absolutely, absolutely."
Hirschorn told Bolduan, "They may want to do it anonymously. They may not want to show their face. They may not want to say their name. So, there's lots of times where people speak anonymously. I have absolutely no problem with that."
The jury consultant continued, "But look, one of the greatest things that we have as an American country and in a democracy is our juries. And we should be praising this jury. We should be thanking this jury for the service they perform, not criticizing them."
READ MORE:Trump privately hoped 'my juror' would hang the Manhattan hush money jury for him: report
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