New York, Dec 18, (V7N) - President-elect Donald Trump has accused jurors of misconduct in the criminal trial that led to his conviction earlier this year. The trial, in which Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, sparked the accusations.

On Monday, Judge Juan Merchan informed Trump’s legal team and the prosecution about a letter he had received from Trump that made the allegations. While the judge did not specify the details of the claims, he decided to make the letter public, but with certain redactions to protect the jurors' privacy and safety.

Merchan emphasized that allegations of juror misconduct must be thoroughly investigated, but he noted that Trump’s letter contained unsworn claims, meaning they were not legally binding statements. This limits how the judge can proceed, as formal motions are required for such allegations to be reviewed.

Trump was convicted in May for the hush money scheme. Since then, he has tried to get the conviction overturned, citing his presidential victory and a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. Merchan rejected Trump’s immunity argument in a separate ruling on Monday.

It remains unclear how much of the alleged misconduct will be revealed when the redacted letter and the prosecution's response are made public. Merchan has asked both parties to review the redactions before posting them for public access. If Trump decides to formally file a motion, he would need to make the allegations in a sworn statement, which would allow further investigation. Otherwise, Merchan said he cannot release the unsworn claims to the public.

Trump’s legal team did not immediately comment, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office declined to make a statement.

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