One week after former President Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts by a 12-member jury, the judge raised concern about a social media post shared to the court’s page around the time the jury’s verdict came down by a person claiming to be the “cousin” of a juror.
“Today, the Court became aware of a comment that was posted on the Unified Court System’s public Facebook page and which I now bring to your attention,” Judge Juan Merchan shared in a letter to Trump’s attorneys and prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.
“In the comment, the user, ‘Michael Anderson,’ states: ‘My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted … Thank you folks for all your hard work!!! ….’” Merchan wrote in the letter.
Merchan said the comment was left in response to a May 29 posting on the court system’s Facebook page. It’s labeled by the social media platform as “one week old,” according to Merchan, meaning it’s not clear when the comment was posted. He said the comment was “regarding oral arguments in the Fourth Department of the Appellate Division unrelated to this proceeding.”
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Trump was found guilty on March 30 of 34 felony counts for falsification of business records tied to efforts to conceal hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
It’s unclear what may come of the judge’s Friday evening notice, though the former president’s attorneys and the prosecution are likely to respond to the judge’s notice promptly. It’s also unclear at this time whether Anderson is indeed a cousin to one of the 12 jurors.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
