The judge overseeing Paul Manafort’s trial said Friday that he’s received threats related to the case — and won’t release jurors’ names amid fears for their safety.
Virginia federal Judge T.S. Ellis said he’s under US Marshals’ protection because of the threats, which he didn’t disclose.
The revelation came as he weighed whether to make public the names of the 12 jurors, who were in their second full day of deliberations.
Ellis said he’s concerned for the “peace and safety of the jurors.”
His decision comes after a collection of news outlets filed a motion requesting the names of the jurors at the end of the trial, as well as access to sealed transcripts of bench conferences.
Jury lists are generally made public unless a judge finds a compelling reason to keep them secret.
Manafort is charged with bank and tax fraud in the first trial stemming from the probe overseen by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
With Post wires
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