Starting a new thread 🧵 #TrumpTrial #Trump #legal 1/...
Via Inner City Press (I call him Press):
Trump's lawyer Blanche: There are a number of the jurors that we have social media posts for very much contrary to what they said. We don't want to confront them openly
Judge: They were not told it is an anonymous jury.
Trump's lawyer Blanche: Juror number 1 has a series of extraordinarily hostile Facebook posts-
Judge: Can I see them?... Was I handed the right thing? The sheet has 2 screen grabs
2/ Press:
Merchan: This only shows people and "spread the honking cheer."
Trump's lawyer Blanche: That was election day - it was a celebration of the results of the election.
Prosecutor: There's no reference to the defendant.
Merchan: Show me the bias
Blanche: When the juror was asked for her opinion of Pres Trump, she said nothing. But when he lost the election, they celebrated on Facebook - they got in the car and spread the honking cheer
Justice Merchan: Can you play it for me? Here
3/ Press:
Justice Merchan: How do we know this is the juror's account? Just based on name?
Trump's lawyer Susan Necheles: This was an anti-Trump rally.
Justice Merchan: It might be. I'm going to ask her to come in, and allow you to ask her questions. Seat 1, B133.
4/ 👀👇🏼
Klasfeld:
When Trump's lawyer questioned a juror about Facebook posts, the 👉🏼former president reacted audibly and visibly.👈🏼
After she leaves, Justice Merchan angrily warns him via his lawyer:
❗️👉🏼"I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom. I want to make that crystal clear."
5/ Klasfeld:
One of the posts appeared to show an outdoor celebration circa the 2020 election.
"It's a full-on dance party at 96th St.," one of the captions said.
The juror said the video reminded her of COVID-era "cheer" sessions of healthcare workers, in what she called a "New York City celebratory moment."
Merchan rejected the for-cause challenge by Trump's defense, calling the juror's explanation "credible."
6/ 👀 👇🏼
Orden:
Merchan admonished Trump, telling Blanche: "Your client was audibly uttering something...I won’t tolerate that. I will not have any jurors intimated in this courtroom. I want to make that crystal clear."
Merchan instructed Blanche to tell Trump to stop such behavior. As Merchan spoke, Trump was slumped in his seat, sitting as though he were in a lounge chair.
Via Rubin: while the juror was about 12 ft from client, your client was audibly saying something in her direction.. "
7/ Via Press:
Justice Merchan: Celebrating the end of the travel ban was one thing. But expressing a desire that Donald Trump be locked up? This case counsel result in jail time, that is, lock up. So I will excuse this juror for cause. Next?
8/ Press:
Trump's lawyer Blanche: 330's husband's account, it has a meme of President Trump's head being held.
Justice Merchan: There's an image of Barrack Obama, then your client, and it says, "I don't think this is what they meant by Orange is the new Black."
Trump's lawyer Blanche: We'd like to ask the juror if her family -
Justice Merchan: We're not going to do this. You should have asked, if you have the goods.
Prosecutor: It's humor. It's not a window into their soul
That's the idea, to disqualify so many jurors that they can establish a basis for venue change. That the court has already qualified three jurors is heartening. It'll likely go faster as the defense runs low on de novo attacks on jurors.
The defense was given a single printed list of the names and ordered to turn it in every night and not copy it. Now, while they can't use electronic devices in the courtroom, nothing stops someone from going out in the hall and doing it there. Or from a cafe across the street. And once a juror's name is in your browser search history, well... But it does likely result in some very silly challenges.
As for trust, nobody trusts these shady assclowns, least of all the judge. No legal proceeding is perfect, and sometimes compromises must be made. The defendant has rights.
@dave @artemesia @GottaLaff NFL my bigger question is are these people really posting publicly?! Or do they have special insider access to the account posts?
Though I suppose likes in public posts would give a lot away, considering how much FB shoves posts in your face that you didn't ask for
I assume these challenges result from bringing up and/or searching public profiles. The jurors are not on trial here. It does suggest that if one is called for jury duty one might want to make one's locateable social media private before call day. Gives you a little more agency in whether or not you are selected. But even making the account private does not hide posts from folks who have responded to your posts.
Laffy
David LaFontaine
Artemesia
i.grok