Exclusive: Trump 'hush money' grand jury called off for Wednesday, delaying possible indictment vote
Alex Brandon/AP, left. Markus Schreiber/AP, center. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP, right.
- A Manhattan grand jury meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in the Trump 'hush-money' case.
- Wednesday's grand jury session has been canceled, high-ranking law enforcement sources tell Insider.
- The panel is not expected to vote by week's end, even if they reconvene on Thursday, one source said.
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.
Grand juries convene in secret, and prosecutors are statutorily barred from discussing what they do.
The pause comes 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 unclear why District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office has been presenting evidence against Trump since mid-January, temporarily hit the brakes. 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.
In a Wednesday post to Truth Social, Trump wrote that Bragg "is having a hard time with the Grand Jury, especially after the powerful testimony against him by Felon Cohen's highly respected former lawyer."
Prosecutors are barred from divulging grand jury details; Bragg's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is a breaking story. Please check back for developments.
Contributer : Business Insider https://ift.tt/OvoDRuG
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Thursday, March 23, 2023
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