


A second juror who was previously sworn into the New York hush money trial against former President Donald Trump was dismissed on Thursday after prosecutors raised objections, dropping the total number in the jury down to five.
The seated Juror #4, an older Puerto Rican man who previously said he was intrigued by Trump, was called for questioning after prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office inquired about whether he was truthful in answering questions about his past criminal history. The dismissal comes shortly after Juror #2, an oncology nurse, was dismissed Thursday morning.
After the conference between the juror and Justice Juan Merchan, the judge said the juror “expressed annoyance about how much information was out there about him in the public.”
Merchan said he sealed a portion of the transcript where the juror discussed “highly personal” information. Following the conference, Merchan said he was excusing Juror #4.
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Two of the seven jurors who were sworn in on Tuesday have been dismissed so far as of Thursday morning and early afternoon. The court will need to have seven more jurors and six more alternates sworn in before opening arguments can begin.
It is unclear when opening arguments will commence, as Merchan previously indicated that the swearing in of seven jurors was a good sign for the trial to formally begin on Monday. It’s unclear how many more jurors will be sworn in on Thursday and whether more will have to bow out for any reason.