A juror who spent six weeks hearing the evidence in a Manhattan courtroom against former President Donald Trump appears to be sympathetic towards him, reports suggest.
Starting Wednesday, the jury will deliberate on whether Trump, beyond a reasonable doubt, committed a crime by falsifying records to cover up another offense. Many legal experts believe the case against Trump isn’t strong.
The possibility of a hung jury might be influenced by a report highlighting that one juror occasionally made “friendly eye contact with Trump as the jury entered and exited the courtroom, walking past the defense table.”
Marc Caputo wrote in the Bulwark:
“There are eight people on that jury who definitely hate Trump. If there’s one person who doesn’t, it’s [this] juror,” said one court attendee, who shared their observations on condition of anonymity with The Bulwark, which is also protecting the juror’s privacy and safety by not disclosing identifying details. As the trial has proceeded since April 15, sources say, this juror has shown signs of agreement with the defense at times. On other occasions, the juror has reacted favorably to and acknowledged Trump’s congressional surrogates who have been present in court recently.
However, most of the jurors appear to lean politically left, according to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, who comments on the jury selection process.
In high-profile cases, judges and attorneys are vigilant about “stealth jurors,” individuals who aim to get selected to influence the verdict.
“Only about 12 percent of people in this area voted for Trump,” Turley told Fox News during jury selection in April. “The jurors to be cautious about are the ‘Trojan horse jurors,’ who conceal biases not evident from social media or formal records.”
Potential jurors in Trump’s case faced 42 questions during selection, which some believe favored the prosecution. Both prosecution and defense lawyers scrutinized the jurors.
“We have seen jurors in previous Trump-related cases misrepresenting their backgrounds,” Turley added. “In those instances, judges in Washington, DC, declined to reconsider the verdicts. It’s critical to identify such jurors during this stage.”
An increasing number of Americans see Trump’s criminal trial as irrelevant to his reelection suitability, according to a recent CNN poll. Only 13 percent believe Trump is treated like other criminal defendants.
A majority doubts the trial will conclude fairly, the CNN poll found. About one-third of American adults believe Trump acted illegally in this case, as per an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in April.
The case is New York v. Trump, No. 71543-23, in the New York Supreme Court for New York County.
