Trump indictment grand jury not 'likely' to meet Thursday either after Manhattan DA paused [View all]
Last edited Wed Mar 22, 2023, 07:04 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: Business Insider
The Manhattan 'hush-money' grand jury, after being told by prosecutors not to come in on Wednesday, is not 'likely' to meet Thursday either, law enforcement sources told Insider. Wednesday's cancellation came on the brink of a possible historic indictment vote of former President Donald Trump. The grand jury has been meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to hear evidence of Trump's alleged role in approving a 2016 election-eve payment of $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, money that federal prosecutors have called an illegal campaign expenditure.
Star prosecution witness Michael Cohen had told reporters as recently as last week that he had expected to be the grand jury's final witness. Had that remained the plan, Cohen's testimony, which concluded last Wednesday, would have been quickly followed by deliberations and a vote. But Wednesday's pause in the grand jury's activity — especially if the panel indeed takes the rest of this week off — will likely delay the process into next week.
Grand juries convene in secret, and prosecutors are statutorily barred from discussing what they do. This week's pause came after unexpected testimony Monday by Robert Costello, who was allowed to address the grand jurors at the defense's request. Costello, who previously served as Cohen's legal advisor, said at a press conference Monday that he attacked his former client's credibility during his testimony.
Cohen had just spent two days of testimony walking grand jurors through the chronology of Trump's involvement in the payment. It is nclear why District Attorney Alvin Bragg hit pause on a grand jury that has been hearing evidence against Trump since mid-January. The reason for the pause could be unrelated to the grand jury's investigation. It is also possible that prosecutors are executing a shift in strategy.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-indictment-hush-money-grand-jury-cancelled-wednesday-sources-2023-3
Article updated.
Full headline: Trump indictment grand jury not 'likely' to meet Thursday either after Manhattan DA paused Stormy Daniels case Wednesday
Original article and headline -
The Manhattan 'hush-money' grand jury has been told not to come in on Wednesday, a cancellation that comes on the brink of a possible historic indictment vote of former President Donald Trump, according to two law enforcement officers.
And while nothing beyond Wednesday is set in stone, it is unlikely that the grand jury will meet at all this week, said one of the law enforcement sources, who spoke to Insider on condition of anonymity.
The grand jury has been meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to hear evidence of Trump's alleged role in approving a 2016 election-eve payment of $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, money that federal prosecutors have called an illegal campaign expenditure. Star prosecution witness Michael Cohen had told reporters as recently as last week that he had expected to be the grand jury's final witness.
Had that remained the plan, Cohen's testimony, which concluded last Wednesday, would have been quickly followed by deliberation and a vote. But today's pause in the grand jury's activity — especially if the panel does take the rest of this week off — will likely delay the process into next week.
Note the update is in contradiction to NBC News' assertion that the grand jury was going to reconvene Thursday but we shall see.
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