Another juror under scrutiny after one is excused
Following the loss of Juror. No. 2, attorneys are now discussing an issue with yet another juror -- Juror No. 4 -- after Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass said the the DA's team did research that "possibly called into question the veracity" of the answers he gave on the jury questionnaire.
Steinglass said a person with the same name as Juror No. 4 -- the Puerto Rican man who said he found Trump "fascinating and mysterious" -- had been arrested in the 1990s in Westchester for "tearing down political advertisements."
Juror excused after concerns over aspects of identity made public
“I actually believe the propaganda that was being ripped down was political posters that were on the right -- the political right," Steinglass said.
He suggested that Juror No. 4's answer to question 19 on the questionnaire -- if you have ever been accused or convicted of committing a crime -- then "was not accurate."
Steinglass added they discovered the juror's wife had been embroiled in a "corruption inquiry" that resulted in her "entering in a differed prosecution agreement ... with the Manhattan DA's office."
Steinglass said they felt they were "ethically and legally obligated to bring this information to the court."
Judge Merchan said he instructed Juror No. 4 to be in court at 9:15, but he still has not shown up.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche said he did not consent to dismissing the juror without first hearing from him. They will revisit the issue later.