New York Grand Jury Cancels Wednesday Meeting: Report
The New York grand jury considering indicting former President Trump has canceled its Wednesday meeting, delaying the potential indictment.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) reportedly told the panel of jurors they should still be on standby to report on Thursday. The grand jury empaneled for Bragg’s investigation typically meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
The cancellation comes after Trump predicted over the weekend that he could be arrested as soon as Tuesday in connection with the probe.
“ILLEGAL LEAKS FROM A CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE, WHICH HAS ALLOWED NEW RECORDS TO BE SET IN VIOLENT CRIME & WHOSE LEADER IS FUNDED BY GEORGE SOROS, INDICATE THAT, WITH NO CRIME BEING ABLE TO BE PROVEN, & BASED ON AN OLD & FULLY DEBUNKED (BY NUMEROUS OTHER PROSECUTORS!) FAIRYTALE, THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK,” Trump posted to his social media platform Truth Social. “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”
Earlier this week, Fox News reported the grand jury scheduled an additional witness on Wednesday. The report cited a law enforcement official familiar with the case who says he doesn’t expect the indictment to come until next week at the earliest.
The officer also noted the logistical issues of closing down streets and putting lights up with generators, extra barriers, and extra police as well as public safety concerns as reasons for delaying the indictment.
“If the former president does come up to Manhattan, there will be a major police presence and the area will get shut down. Trump has called on his supporters to protest ahead of a possible indictment, ” Fox News reports.
On Monday, authorities were seen erecting barricades outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court.
The unprecedented indictment hanging over Trump’s head stems from a $130,000 hush money payment he allegedly made to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Prosecutors are expected to charge Trump with a felony by arguing that the alleged crime was committed to hide an illegal campaign contribution. The potential problem for Trump centers around how his company reimbursed former attorney Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to related charges and served time in prison.
The payment to Daniels was listed as a legal expense and Trump’s company cited a retainer agreement with Cohen. The retainer agreement did not exist and the reimbursement was not related to any legal services from Cohen, thus setting up a potential misdemeanor criminal charge of falsifying business records. A report by NBC News said that Trump personally signed several of the checks to Cohen while he was serving as president.
Prosecutors can elevate the misdemeanor to a felony if they can prove that Trump’s “‘intent to defraud’ included an intent to commit or conceal a second crime.”
Prosecutors argue that the second crime is that the $130,000 hush payment was an improper donation to the Trump campaign because the money was used to stop a story for the purpose of benefiting his presidential campaign.