A #juror was quickly dismissed at the start. She was among the 7 already selected, she said she was very worried that despite the fact the court ruled to keep jurors’ name secret, she would still be exposed & targeted.
They brought back previously mentioned #juror4, who they were concerned misrepresented his arrest history when answering the questionnaire.
The reported conversation was odd given that he was accused of lying. His answers appeared to make defense atty, Todd Blanche, laugh. #Trump leaned in closer to listen. The juror explained something at length, gesticulating & setting off more laughter. Judge #Merchan did not look amused. The conversation ended & the juror was escorted from the room.
The juror spoke to the lawyers. If he were to remain on the jury, the lawyers will know this juror better than they know any others, due to all of this interaction.
Merchan tapped the microphone then stated he was excusing juror 4.
In a brief interview outside the courtroom, #juror4 who was just dismissed declined to give his name & said he didn’t want to answer questions. But nodded when asked if he thought he could be unbiased & shook his head when asked if he felt at all intimidated in the courtroom.
Asked if he thought he should have been dismissed, he gave a one-word answer: “Nope.”