Here’s Why Judge Juan Merchan Flagged This Facebook Post Alleging Juror Misconduct

On Friday, June 7, Justice Juan Merchan notified prosecutors and Donald Trump ’s legal team about a post on the New York court system’s Facebook page. The comment, made by someone claiming to be related to a juror, alleged that the relative had discussed the trial with them, violating Merchan’s strict instructions not to talk about the case before the verdict . According to HuffPost , the comment was posted a week ago, though Merchan did not specify the exact date.

According to Merchan’s letter, the comment read, “My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted. Thank you folks for all your hard work!!!!” Merchan wrote, “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.” Another comment from the same individual, posted on May 29, read, “My cousin is a juror on Trump’s criminal case and they’re going to convict him tomorrow according to her.”

As the news made headlines, the commenter acknowledged the unexpected spotlight with a laughing emoji, and proudly labeled himself a ‘professional shit poster’. He wrote, “Take it easy…I’m a professional shitposter” and outlined what that means. He explained, “Definition: In Internet culture, shitposting or trash posting is the act of using an online forum or social media page to post content that is of ‘aggressively, ironically, and trollishly poor quality’. Shitposts are generally intentionally designed to derail discussions or cause the biggest reaction with the least effort. It may even sometimes be orchestrated as part of a coordinated flame war to render a website unusable by its regular visitors.”

Both posts have now been removed from the court system’s Facebook page. It remains uncertain if court officials took any steps to verify the post’s claims or if Merchan shared it merely as a precautionary measure. Merchan did not indicate whether he had grounds to believe the comment had some merit, nor did he outline any actions he intends to take over the same. However, it might be enough fodder for Trump’s legal team to challenge the jury’s verdict.

Merchan recently permitted defense attorney, Todd Blanche, to accompany Trump to the pre-sentence investigation interview, as reported by ABC News . Trump was convicted last month on May 30, on all 34 counts of felony relating to the falsification of business records to conceal reimbursements made to his ex-fixer/ lawyer, Michael Cohen. The verdict marked a significant event in US history as it was the first time a former president was convicted on criminal charges. Merchan has set Trump’s sentence hearing for July 11, at 10 a.m., four days before he gets formally endorsed as the Republican presidential candidate.