Photo: Alamy
As President Trump’s hush money trial jury selection enters day three, Judge Juan Merchan has dismissed a juror who admitted to being unable to remain impartial during the trial.
On Thursday, the day started with seven sworn-in jurors, which dwindled down to five confirmed jurors by the end of the day.
Fox News reported that one juror, who identified as “Kat,” raised her hand to indicate to Judge Merchan that she could not be impartial in the trial for personal reasons. Kat reportedly told the judge, “It’s a big case. It’s a historical thing, right? So, it’s very important. Our role was very important there as jurors.”
According to RSBN, President Trump was frustrated with the jury selection process. The court needs to assemble a panel of 12 jurors, and Merchan has been granted the authority to dismiss jurors who are deemed unfit.
One juror was excused after she claimed that some of her personal information was made public. Per Reuters, the woman revealed that people who knew her guessed she was on the jury and started contacting her.
She told the judge, “I don’t believe at this point that I can be fair and unbiased, and let the outside influences not affect my decision-making in the courtroom.”
CNN reported that Merchan responded to the situation, saying, “We just lost what could have been a good juror.”
Fox News reported that Judge Merchan introduced new media restrictions to protect the jurors’ identities and brought in an additional 96 potential jurors late Thursday morning.
On Truth Social, President Trump calls out the jury selection process, saying, “The Witch Hunt continues! ELECTION INTERFERENCE!
