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Soon: Trump Alternate Juror Selection Resumes After Brief Recess; U.S. Official: Israel Strike Iran, Target Not Clear; Day Four Of Jury Selection In Trump Hush Money Trial. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired April 19, 2024 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:30:00]

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's people who have relationships with people who have been accused of crimes. People themselves -- this group who have been accused of crimes.

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: But that's important because you know, normally, one would assume if you commit -- convicted of a crime, that might disqualify you. That's not the case here. The idea of why one juror was dismissed yesterday was because of the failure to disclose, according to the questionnaire, not they actually had been convicted of a crime. In fact, the defense might look at this as a good thing --

HOLMES: Right.

COATES: To have somebody who has been accused before and gone through the process. But you know, interestingly enough, you mentioned the news or lack thereof, people really want to know, is this jury going to be sequestered? Are they going to be able to go home at night? Is the judge going to say you cannot listen to the news, you cannot watch television? Particularly in a world where watching television is a different concept now, you might be unplugged.

HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE) on your phone, right?

COATES: Right, you got --

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: That kind of thing. And we don't know what those terms are going to look like. We do know that they are, at this point, likely to be able to go home every single night. But I mean, just a reminder of one of the jurors who asked to be dismissed. Part of the reason they asked to be dismissed is because of the news coverage --

COATES: Right.

HOLMES: They were getting calls from other people saying, are you this juror? This seems like you. That's going to be very difficult overall, for these jurors to stay completely out of this.

Maybe not as many identifying factors are being leaked out. But then again, have you -- do a push alert sent to your phone? What podcasts are you listening to? Is it going to be possible to talk to your significant other without bringing up this case?

Are they political? Are they going to bring up this case? And these are the questions that really both sides are trying to get to the bottom of, but also that we're going to be wandering and we're hoping to get some kind of guidance from the judge on when these jurors leave the courtroom.

COATES: This is such a high-profile case. I mean, we're here in Manhattan try walking down the street, and someone is not aware of what's going on in this case. And maybe even the inadvertent consumption of information might be something for the judge to consider here.

And again, we're watching very closely, Wolf, to see what the former president is doing inside of this courtroom. We're told that he is slipping through paperwork. He is more attentive. He is -- he is looking towards the jury pool when they are describing the questionnaire. So, we might find out this very day who those 18 people will be to decide the fate of a former president of the United States.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Laura, thank you very much. Thanks, Kristen as well. Let's continue this conversation right now. Joining me, the former Trump White House attorney, Jim Schultz.

Jim, thanks so much for joining us. First of all, what's your thoughts on the jury that's been seated? One juror said she appreciates that Trump speaks his mind. But another juror called Trump "very selfish and self-serving." What are your thoughts?

JIM SCHULTZ, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE ATTORNEY: Look, I think this jury that has been impaneled thus far is one that -- you know, the purpose of jury selection that what we look for in jury selection is fundamental fairness, right? That's why you have the strikes. That why -- that's why all the research is done. That's why you get into these folks' backgrounds.

That's why you ask the questions. And in this case, you know, both sides have spent a lot of time, a lot of due diligence, you know, trying to get jurors that are going to, you know, be more -- be more friendly towards their position in this case, right? Or find folks who are you know, not necessarily going to be biased to the other side.

And I think in this case, they've done a pretty good job based upon the profile of the kind of finding folks that meet in the middle. I always go back to the first -- to the -- to the form in the first one, the fellow from Ireland who, you know, watches MSNBC and Fox News, right? He's a -- he's -- has some education. He has -- you know, some college education. He's in sales, kind of a blue-collar background.

You're got -- that's the -- that's the one you're looking at, as the swing juror in this instance, right? Just like that swing voters in politics, you know, that's the swing juror that these lawyers are going to be looking at. And you're going to have folks that are on other sides -- you know, on other sides of that spectrum across the board and watching them as well. BLITZER: You know, Jim, as this process continues to unfold, even as we speak right now, the need to seek at least five alternate jurors. How would you approach this if you were a member of Trump's legal team right now?

SCHULTZ: It's no different with the alternates, right? You want to get -- you want to find the best folks who are going to be -- you know, one, you want to make sure that folks are going to be paying attention to this. The alternates are very important in this case. You could end up supplanting jurors with an alternate. So, it's just as important to have alternates that -- and pay attention to the alternates as it is -- as it is for the main jurors in this particular case because there's a real good shot that one of them may be on that jury panel down the road.

BLITZER: Or no more than one because yesterday we saw two jurors who were seated earlier in the week replaced. Do you think this current jury and its alternates will hold? And are six alternates in your opinion enough?

SCHULTZ: I think six alternates are probably enough. In my experience, I believe that will be enough. I think it's good that they gave them extra strikes as it relates to the alternate. I think that shows that they're paying -- that the court is -- also understands that these alternates are also important.

[11:35:08]

So, I think they have enough alternates. I think they could have one or -- one or more replaced, but you never know, right? The trials have taken on a life of their own. And the facts kind of arise as they -- as the case unfolds. So, I think we're going to have to wait and see.

BLITZER: Yes, good point. Assuming things stay on track. What do you think opening statements could look like on Monday?

SCHULTZ: I think -- I think we do have opening statements on Monday. And I think you're going to hear from the -- from the defense -- on the defense side, I think they're going to go right after the witnesses from the outset. What you're going to hear and what they're back -- what they're back in, particularly Michael Cohen, right?

You're relying on someone who -- he's -- they're going to make the argument that the prosecution is relying on someone who has -- who has a grudge against the former president. And they're going to try to make that point throughout the trial. They're going to try to discredit witnesses from the outset, that the prosecution there is going to put on the stand. And that's where -- I don't think they've listed a lot of witnesses for the defense in this case.

BLITZER: Yes.

SCHULTZ: It's all about attacking -- it's all about attacking the witness's credibility that the prosecution is going to put on in this case, in particular, Michael Cohen. BLITZER: Yes. And I thought -- speaking of witnesses, I thought it was significant that the prosecutors said they won't share the witness list publicly or with Trump's legal team ahead of the opening arguments, presumably, on Monday. They say it's because "Mr. Trump has been tweeting about the witnesses." What's your reaction to that?

SCHULTZ: Look, I've said this time and time again. If someone thinks they're going to control what Donald Trump does on Truth Social as it relates to this trial, they're sadly mistaken. The judge can do the best he can in trying to control that.

You know, he only has so many tools at his disposal. He's not going to throw the former president in jail, he can admonish him, he can find him, he can make it very difficult for him, and he can make it difficult for the lawyers and he has some tools at his disposal. But I would expect that Donald Trump is going to be, you know, using his platform as early and often through this process.

You know, where he could get himself into trouble is when he starts either attacking jurors, witnesses, or prosecutors in the case on a personal level, especially witnesses. But again, with Michael Cohen, you have Michael Cohen out there tweeting about the former president, you know, egging on, you know almost asking for a battle over social media with the former president. So, if he's going to continue to do that, I except -- expect Donald Trump is going to respond in kind.

BLITZER: I suspect you're right. Jim Schultz, the former Trump White House attorney, thanks as usual for your expertise. Here's a question. What did the U.S. actually know about Israel's strike inside Iran?

I'll ask Florida Congressman Jared Moskowitz from the Foreign Affairs Committee. He's coming up next. Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:42:52]

BLITZER: More now in the breaking news out of the Middle East. A U.S. official says Israel carried out a military strike on Iran overnight. It was a response to the missile and drone attack that Iran launched on Israel last weekend. And it's a -- potentially, a very dangerous escalation in the Middle East conflict.

This morning, the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said the U.S. was not -- repeat, not involved in the strike. And just moments ago, the House of Representatives voted to advance a package of foreign aid bills for final passage. The bills includes -- the bills include some $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, and $26 billion in aid for Israel.

Joining us now, the Florida Congressman Jared Moscowitz. He's a Democrat who serves on the foreign affairs and oversight committees. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. Do you think Democrats are getting any concessions for helping Speaker Johnson get this legislation across the finish line? REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-FL): Thanks, Wolf. Thanks for having me. I think the American people are getting those concessions. Remember, these are bills we could have passed months ago. We could have passed Israel aid, you know, the week Speaker Johnson became speaker that was right after October 7. He tied it to the IRS instead, played politics with it, and killed the bill.

We've had the Senate bill now for months. This basically is the Senate bill that we're doing in the House just divided in separate votes to distinction really without a difference. And so, look, Democrats are leading -- as Speaker Jeffrey says this is a Churchill or Chamberlain moment and Democrats along with some of our Republican colleagues are deciding this is our Churchill moment to make sure that we're standing by our allies. Not just Ukraine and Israel but sending the message to all of our allies around the world that you can still depend on America and not ceding more power to Russia and China.

If this bill fails, Russia and China are the winners. You cannot be a Republican here and say you're worried about China's aggression and then vote against this. Because if this dies, China becomes more powerful. They fill the void. And China, Russia, and Iran that acts as if evil will look at this and tell the rest of the world, now's the time to do business with us and not with America.

[11:45:07]

BLITZER: You -- this week, you introduced the -- a bipartisan bill, Congressman, condemning Iran's last weekend drone and cruise missile attack on Israel. How do you read Israel's clearly more limited and precise strike on Iran that happened overnight?

MOSKOWITZ: Yes, let's be clear on this. First of all, I think what Israel did was smart. They launched one percent -- one percent of the amount of weapons that Iran launched. Iran launched over 300 missiles and drones. Israel launched like three or four. So, it launched one percent.

So, Iran had a disproportional response to the bombing of that compound. Israel has had less than a proportional response. It was a message to Iran that said your weapons cannot get through our defense systems, but our weapons can get through your defense systems. You should remember that. Now everybody go back to the way it was.

But let's be clear, you know, what the way it was? The way it was is I ran attacking Israel with all of their proxies, right, with Hezbollah, and the Houthis and Hamas. And so, it's not like, it's just going back to this wonderful scenario. Iran has been messing with Israel through all of its proxies.

But I think what Israel did was smart. I think it was limited. It's not looking for provocation. It's looking to make sure that we're not having a hot war directly between Iran and Israel. But I think it was the right message.

You don't get to send ballistic missiles into a country, ballistic missiles that could carry a nuclear warhead, and think that country doesn't get to respond. That's not a win, OK? You got to make sure that you reinstalled deterrence. And I think that's what Israel did.

BLITZER: Do you see any indication, Congressman, that Iran will respond, or do you think direct strikes between Israel and Iran, at least for now, will stop?

MOSKOWITZ: I think, from the information that's been made available publicly, it appears that this is now going to simmer down. It does not appear to be escalatory. Iran is not -- language or put anything out since the strike that they're looking for that. In fact, they're downplaying it in their media. They're saying that there was no -- there was no strike.

So, I hope that's the case. I hope no one makes any rash decisions. We don't want a regional conflict. Obviously, we have a -- we have enough of a mess right now in the world between what's going on in Gaza, what's going on in Ukraine, and let's not forget these other things that are going on. The Uyghurs in China, the genocide in Sudan, Russia messing with Haiti, trying to destabilize Haiti to cause problems in the Western Hemisphere.

There's a lot going on. And so, we don't need a regional war in the Middle East. But I think Israel had every right to send that message to Iran. And now, let's hope this situation is over.

BLITZER: Democratic Congressman Jared Moskowitz of Florida, thanks so much for joining us.

MOSKOWITZ: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: A jury is seated. Now, it's all about finding jury alternatives. Back to the Trump trial in Manhattan, that's coming up next. Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:52:43]

COATES: I'm Laura Coates outside the Manhattan courthouse where a jury selection for Donald Trump's historic criminal trial is continuing. I'm joined now by CNN colleague Kristen Holmes. Here's what were -- what's happening right now. In this moment in time, we know we've got the set 12. Alternates are still being questioned.

But at the end of today, we might very well have 18. But the focus for many people has been on those 18. For the defense, they just want one.

HOLMES: That's right. Look, they do not believe that they're going to fill a jury and six alternates with people who are pro-Donald Trump. They don't even think that there's going to be that many people who are sympathetic to Donald Trump because we are in Manhattan. It is an area that has gone Democratic now for decades.

And they believe that at the end of the day, despite people saying that they can be impartial, that there is going to be some sort of political bias. They know that the -- their defendant is incredibly polarizing, as well as the fact that he's a former president and incredibly well known. But what they're looking for is can they find one sympathetic jury -- juror? Can they get a hung jury? That is the ultimate goal here because as you've said --

COATES: If not an acquittal?

HOLMES: Exactly. And I don't know that they necessarily think they're going to get an acquittal. So sure, that is the ultimate goal. But the realistic goal for them might more be leaning towards getting a hung jury.

COATES: Now remember, for the prosecution and the defense team, it has been showtime since the very first juror in the pool walked into that courtroom. They're going to have to now tailor their oral argument that might happen as early as Monday to those 18 jurors. Now, we know the court of public opinion looms large and we have a lot of conversations, but for them, they're going to present their case to these jurors. So, every detail they've learned along the way might be useful.

HOLMES: Exactly. And they -- that's exactly right. And just remember that the Trump team also has a jury consultant that is looking at each of these people going back and forth, dealing with the lawyers on who they are choosing.

Part of that is for the exact reason that you are talking about. Because when they are making their arguments, they're not necessarily going to be speaking to all 12 jurors in the box or all 18. They might just be tailoring their message just to specific jurors. Because again, if they cannot get an acquittal, part of the ultimate goal is to get a hung jury.

COATES: Right. Or to focus on one witness they want to discredit entirely.

HOLMES: Right.

COATES: Kristen Holmes, you've been so invaluable throughout this process. I want to turn it right back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Laura, thank you. Thanks to Kristen as well. And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining me here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[11:55:03]

I'll be back later today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern for a special two-hour "SITUATION ROOM." Back here Monday morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with CNN right now. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Dana Bash starts right after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to INSIDE POLITICS. I'm Danna Bash. Jury selection is nearly complete in the case of the people of the state of New York versus Donald J. Trump. 12 jurors and one alternate had been sworn in. Right now, Judge Juan Merchan and lawyers from both -- END