Juror number two says her family and friends figured out she was on the former president’s jury by putting together information from news reports.
A juror who was picked and sworn in on Tuesday for Donald Trump’s Stormy Daniels hush money trial told the judge Thursday she wants no part of the trial because her anonymity had been compromised.
Juror number two says her family and friends figured out she was on the Trump jury by putting together information from news reports.
The woman was described as an oncology nurse who lives in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and works at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She is engaged and owns a dog.
That information was enough for her friends to figure out it was her.
She told the judge she felt “intimidated.” “I don’t believe at this point that I can be fair and unbiased,” she told the judge. She was excused.
A second juror who had been picked for the panel on Tuesday was also dismissed after prosecutors discovered he lied on his jury questionnaire.
He failed to reveal that he was arrested in the 90s for ripping down political posters.
Renowned trial attorney Arthur Aidala spoke with Inside Edition.
“I think the judge is doing the right thing by being concerned and being very vigilant about the safety of the jurors and the identity of the jurors. You never know if there’s a nut job out there on one side or the other when the verdict comes out, if they love it, they hate it, and they may do something stupid,” Aidala says. “So if you want to get the best jurors, I think assuring them that they're going to be protected is probably a good move.”
Another 96 potential jurors arrived at court Thursday, 57 of which were immediately dismissed when they admitted they could not be impartial or had work or family conflicts.
Meanwhile, Trump was accused of violating a gag order. Prosecutors say he criticized the jury on social media by posting a clip from Fox News saying, "They are trying to rig this jury. They are catching undercover liberal activists lying to the judge.”
The former president faces thousands of dollars in fines if the judge decides to punish him.
Trump’s attorney complained it was “too cold” in the courtroom and a campaign source was quoted calling the bathrooms “disgusting.”
