MAGA demands mistrial after Judge Merchan reveals new information

Supporters of former President Donald Trump are calling for a mistrial in his hush money case after the court flagged a social media post alleging that a juror discussed Trump’s verdict outside of the courthouse.

In a letter to both parties in the case Friday, New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan said that a comment was left on the New York State Unified Court System’s Facebook page by a user claiming to be a juror’s cousin. The commenter said that their relative “says Trump is getting convicted,” adding, “Thank you folks for all your hard work!!!!”

Questions have been raised about the legitimacy of the comment and the exact time that it was posted. Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on May 30. The comment in question was left under a Facebook post made by the court on May 29. Merchan did not specify which day the comment was made but said in his letter that it was “labeled as one week old.”

Some legal experts, including attorney and MSNBC commentator Katie Phang, have flagged a Facebook account with the same user name listed in Merchan’s letter. That user, who goes by the name of Michael Anderson, is self-described as a “professional s*** poster” in the profile bio.

Newsweek was not able to immediately verify if the Facebook user is the same individual to whom Merchan was referring. An email has been sent to Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, and Manhattan District Attorney Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass for comment on the Merchan’s letter.

Fans of Trump’s political movement MAGA stormed social media following reports of the letter, demanding a mistrial. Republican Utah Senator Mike Lee shared a link to The Post Millennial’s report to X, formerly Twitter, Friday evening, writing, “Mistrial fodder.”

Georgia GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene reacted to reports on her personal X account, writing, “The fix was in from the beginning. If true, this is even further proof President Trump never had a chance of being innocent. It was a sham trial from the beginning and the ‘guilty’ verdict came down from the Deep State and ‘the Big Guy.'”

Former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis posted a copy of Merchan’s letter to her X account, writing: “A juror in the Trump trial may have violated confidentiality DURING the trial. This is a basis for a MISTRIAL.”

Questions were also raised by conservative activist Laura Loomer, who said on X that the Facebook comment was “further evidence that President Trump didn’t receive a fair trial!”

Conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk noted on his account that “nothing has been proven yet. But if this is true, and a juror was revealing to others that they planned to convict during deliberations, that is juror misconduct and grounds for a mistrial. Fascinating turn of events!”

Trump has not made his own statement regarding Merchan’s letter as of Friday evening. The former president has repeatedly claimed that the hush money case—in which he was convicted of falsifying business records to conceal a payment made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign—is part of a “witch hunt” designed to hinder his reelection chances in November.

In an email to Newsweek Friday evening, attorney Neama Rahmani explained that while there is a chance the defense team could call for a new trial “if outside influences are brought into the jury deliberation room … The burden for a new trial is high.”

“The defense must show both an improper outside influence and prejudice. Prejudice means the outcome may have been different,” said Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers. “A stray comment on social media is not enough for a new trial. But if the defense can get a declaration from a juror that they discussed the case with family members, then Judge Merchan would hold an evidentiary hearing to examine the juror to determine whether the improper influence and prejudice took place.”

“I don’t think a statement from the family member is enough if it’s not supported by a juror affidavit,” he added.

Attorney Bradley Moss, legal analyst and frequent critic of Trump, wrote on X Friday evening that he was “not surprised the MAGA base is latching onto a clear fake troll account as proof of some conspiracy worthy of a mistrial.”

“Trump always said he loved the poorly educated. Give the man credit, he knows a sucker when he sees one,” Moss added. “These fools would believe anything.”