I think you’re right. I have been excused from serving any number of times based on defense challenges. They managed to work in a question about my education and/or occupation (engineer). One time as the bailiff was escorting me out he whispered “They don’t want smart people on the jury.”
My original career was as an engineer and I had relatives in law enforcement but still got seated on a murder trial jury. I think the public defender let me stay on as she knew how guilty the perp was.
Here the juror was convinced he was guilty but also recognized it was overkill as a political witch hunt trying to tie him to Russia and Trump.... Too bad she and others didn’t stand up for their rights as jurors to practice jury nullification. Could have sent a message by convicting him of the least charge and let him off all the others. The lawyers can’t openly argue for jury nullification but jurors somehow need to be educated about it.