The purported names and addresses of grand jurors who indicted Donald Trump were posted online by Trump supporters on a fringe website known for violent rhetoric. This prompted security concerns for the jurors and district attorney’s office. A research group found the jurors’ information being spread across other sites along with false claims about their political views. The indictment itself does not include such private details. After Trump referred to “riggers” online, supporters appeared to use that term in place of a racial slur in discussing the jurors. Both the sheriff’s office handling Trump’s surrender and the FBI declined to comment on grand jury security matters. The posting of jurors’ private information has led to death threats against them from some Trump supporters online.
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ATLANTA — The purported names and addresses of members of the grand jury that indicted Donald Trump and 18 of his co-defendants on state racketeering charges this week have been posted on a fringe website that often features violent rhetoric, NBC News has learned.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis faced racist threats ahead of the return of the indictment and additional security measures were put in place, with some employees being allowed to work from home.
The grand juror’s purported addresses were spotted by Advance Democracy, Inc., a non-partisan research group founded by Daniel J. Jones, a former FBI investigator and staffer for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
“It’s becoming all too commonplace to see everyday citizens performing necessary functions for our democracy being targeted with violent threats by Trump-supporting extremists," Jones said.
Advance Democracy also noted that users were posting on other social media sites the names and images of people believed to have been grand jurors.
— Advance Democracy noted that Trump supporters were “using the term ‘rigger’ in lieu of a racial slur” in posts online.