The controversy surrounding the conclusion of former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York continues to simmer. A Facebook comment had recently claimed that a juror’s cousin knew about Trump’s guilty verdict beforehand, but the credibility of this comment is now under scrutiny. The alleged author of the Facebook comment has come forward, stating that it was merely a joke.
Judge Juan Merchan sparked controversy when he acknowledged a contentious comment posted on the Unified Court System’s public Facebook page.
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A user named Michael Anderson claimed that his cousin, who is a juror, said that Trump is being convicted. The user expressed gratitude towards the jurors for their hard work.
In a letter dated Friday, June 7, Merchan confirmed the existence of the comment but did not provide any verification of its content. The comment, which was reportedly a week old at the time, had been posted prior to Trump’s conviction by the jury and has since been removed.
Anderson initially stated that he was related to a juror, but he later clarified that his comment was just a joke. He admitted that he made the comment to elicit a reaction without putting in much effort. Following the widespread sharing of his response on social media, he pleaded with people to calm down and “take it easy.”
After the comment was made, there was an immediate and strong response. Many Republicans, including Trump, demanded a mistrial due to the potential juror misconduct implied by the comment. However, legal experts have pointed out that the likelihood of the comment reflecting any genuine inside information is relatively low.
According to The Washington Post, court officials have a responsibility to notify all parties involved about any online content, regardless of its credibility. This is done in order to promote transparency and uphold the integrity of the judicial process.
Straight Arrow News has recently published an article titled “Controversy over Facebook comment alleging juror misconduct in Trump trial”.
