In a bombshell prediction that could blow the high-stakes trial against former President Donald Trump wide open, MSNBC’s own legal eagle, Danny Cevallos, threw down a shocking forecast Monday on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s courtroom brawl.
Doubling down as both an attorney and a columnist for the liberal powerhouse network, Cevallos gave the “Morning Joe” audience a heads-up about potential juror dropouts—a scenario that might prematurely derail the proceedings. He pointed to a troubling trend observed during the initial phase of juror selection, suggesting that Judge Juan Merchan might struggle to keep a competent, unbiased jury in place for the duration of the trial.
“So here’s the thing. I think juror attrition could be a real problem in this case,” Cevallos disclosed during the segment. “I mean, just do the math. Last week, we lost two jurors before the trial even began.”
Cevallos went on to explain the common yet overlooked complexities jurors face, which could lead to their withdrawal. “When you think about it, you do lose jurors during a trial. I’ve lost them. They fell asleep. They don’t follow the judge’s orders. But you don’t normally lose a juror after the moment they’re selected and between that and the time that the trial actually begins because, ordinarily, nothing happens during that time.”
He also highlighted the intense external pressures that jurors often encounter, which can sway their decision-making or even force them to quit. “But in this case, you have an example where a juror goes home, they start really thinking about their duty and what this is going to entail, and they come back and say, ‘you know what, I don’t want to do this anymore.’ By the way, that’s also something that happens from time to time,” he added.
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“I’ve had it in organized crime cases. You have jurors who come up to the judge and say, ‘I’ll do anything. Please, I do not want to be on this jury. I’m afraid.’ That’s not obviously the same situation here, but you do have jurors who are going to have second thoughts.”
The stakes were shown last Friday when a newly selected juror confessed to Judge Merchan that her impartiality was compromised following invasive questioning by relatives. Another juror raised doubts about his own honesty regarding past criminal associations among family members.
“And the question becomes, will six alternates be enough to cover this trial?” Cevallos pondered aloud. “I hope so. But if what we’ve seen so far, if that’s the rate of loss of jurors, two before we even start the trial, that could be a real problem and that could lead to a mistrial, which in, I think, the defense’s view, is a win.”
Former President Trump has been vocal about his concerns over the fairness of his trial in Democrat-dominated Manhattan. He’s taken swipes at Judge Merchan’s family and slammed the media for what he sees as a double standard in DA Bragg’s prosecutorial decisions.
Just before the trial’s commencement, Trump aired his grievances on Truth Social, decrying the alleged preferential treatment of protestors across the nation compared to his supporters. He argued for equal protest rights, criticizing the handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and advocating for “America Loving Protesters” to have their voices heard without restriction.
“Why are Palestinian protesters, and even rioters, allowed to roam the Cities, scream, shout, sit, block traffic, enter buildings, not get permits, and basically do whatever they want including threatening Supreme Court Justices right in front of their homes, and yet people who truly LOVE our Country, and want to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, are not allowed to “Peacefully Protest,” and are rudely and systematically shut down and ushered off to far away “holding areas,” essentially denying them their Constitutional Rights,” Trump posted, fueling the fiery debate surrounding his trial.
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