CNN’s Jake Tapper was met with an impersonation of an Irish woman when he brought on a former lawyer for Donald Trump to discuss the process of selecting jurors in front of a judge.
William Brennan, an attorney who represented Trump during the 2022 Trump Organization trial, spoke to Tapper on Monday about his experience evaluating potential jurors in the case. That experience apparently included an introduction to a 40-something Irish woman who had strong opinions about the twice-impeached former president.
“She spoke with a brogue, she worked in an Irish Pub,” Brennan said. He said he asked her whether feelings toward Trump were positive or negative. “‘Oh, I despise that man,’” Brennan said through an impersonation of the woman.
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The verbal jig prompted Tapper to erupt in laughter, leading Brennan to continue his recounting. “I said, ‘Oh, come on, don't sugarcoat things for me. Speak your mind,’” he started.
“‘I speak me mind,’” the woman responded, Brennan said. “I hate him.”
Brennan spoke to Tapper as jury selection began on Monday in Trump’s criminal trial over alleged hush-money payments made to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It’s the first criminal trial of a former president, a historic occasion Trump marked by struggling to stay awake.
The attorney used the Irish woman as an example of a juror respectful of the questionnaire process, worrying that other prospective jurors antagonistic toward Trump may try to skirt the responses to settle a score.
“That's the juror that I worry about,” Brennan said. “The juror who has some type of ulterior motive to get on that case to settle the score.”
“Bill Brennan, thank you so much,” Tapper said. “Good stuff.”
