WASHINGTON – A jury has been seated in the trial of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, on tax evasion and bank fraud charges.

Six men and six women, along with four alternate jurors, were chosen on Tuesday. Opening statements were expected later in the afternoon.

Manafort, who is already in custody and could spend the rest of his life in jail, appeared in the federal courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia, in a dark suit with his wife, Kathleen.

It’s the first trial to result from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia. Prosecutors are not expected to address the question of collusion, but Manafort’s case is widely viewed as a test to the legitimacy of Mueller’s probe, which Trump has called a “witch hunt.”

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