President-elect Donald Trump's lawyers are alleging that his hush money conviction was tainted by juror misconduct, opening a new front in their fight to overturn the verdict and throw out the historic case.
Trump's lawyers raised the misconduct claim in court papers made public Tuesday, as Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan weighs a pending defence request to throw out the case in light of his impending return to the White House.
Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote in a letter to Merchan that they had evidence of grave juror misconduct during the trial.
The details of the allegations were redacted and hidden from public view. Three of the letter's seven pages were entirely covered in black ink. The letter, dated December 3, was added to the public court docket on Tuesday.
Merchan said in a separate letter Monday that he ordered the reactions both to preserve the integrity of the case and to ensure the safety of jurors, whose names have been kept private.
Blanche and Bove'