Trump Case Could Be In Jeopardy After Social Media Post Flagged By Judge
The judge in the trial of former President Donald Trump sent out a bombshell letter on Friday afternoon that could, if true, change the trial itself.
Judge Juan Merchan told prosecutors and Trump's attorneys that a post on the New York court system's Facebook page came from someone claiming to be the cousin of one of the jurors. That post implied that a juror could have been discussing the case with someone not on the jury and out of the courtroom.
"My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted," the one week-old post reads, according to the letter. "Thank you folks for all your hard work!!!!"
Merchan's letter did not say whether or not efforts had already been made to track down the person behind the post, or whether or not they'd confirmed if it was someone related to a member of the jury. Some media outlets, including Politico, reported that initial investigations pointed to the post coming from a "troll" account that often targets the New York court system.
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NEWARK, N.J. - Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends UFC 302 at Prudential Center on June 1. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
What Happens Next With Trump Verdict?
Jurors had been told not to discuss the case with anyone, which makes the post a serious offense, if confirmed by an investigation.
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Fox News quoted a Trump campaign official saying they are "investigating the matter," while Politico reported that Trump's lawyer Todd Blance, did not have a comment on it.
The post was made one day before the jury returned a controversial verdict of guilty on all 34 counts. It's since been removed, suggesting it was deleted within the past week.
While it's unclear how long it could take to verify whether or not the comment came from an authentic source, if it is confirmed, it could potentially impact the verdict moving forward.