Judge Alerts Defense Team to Facebook Posting Made a Day Before Trump Conviction

(AP)

The judge who oversaw former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial on Friday notified Trump attorney Todd Blanche of a questionable Web posting by someone who claimed to have been in contact with one of the trial’s jurors.

In a letter to Blanche, Judge Juan Merchan, acting state Supreme Court justice, recounted the controversial communication in a note also sent to the New York County District Attorney’s Office: “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. 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’s letter said the comment, now a week old, was made regarding oral arguments in the Fourth Department of the Appellatc Division unrelated to the Trump proceeding.

Newsmax reached out to Blanche, Trump attorney Susan Necheles and Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger for comment.

There is no statement from Trump campaign as they study the filing The campagn says it’s possible the matter could be insignificant, i.e. a random posting, but because the judge sent it to them unsolicited it could end up being more substantial.

So far, it is not known if the person named actually knew a juror on the Trump trial, what the significance of such a communication might be, or if the judge is perhaps acting out of an abundance of caution.

New York criminal law specifies that a defendant can move to vacate a verdict on the basis of juror misconduct if he can prove, by a preponderance of evidence, that the misconduct occurred and also created a substantial risk of prejudice.

Trump was convicted last month on 34 counts of falsifying business records tied to reimbursing Cohen for hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump had pleaded not guilty, denying Daniels’ contention she had a sexual liaison with him years before the campaign., back in 2006. Trump’s sentencing is scheduled for July 11.