Breaking: Trump Grand Jury Session Reportedly Canceled, No Indictment Coming Wednesday
A planned Wednesday session of the grand jury convened as part of the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation of former President Donald Trump was canceled.
According to the New York Post, which cited court officials it did not name, District Attorney Alvin Bragg canceled the session.
The Post further stated that members of the grand jury were told to be on standby for Thursday.
The Post reported that an unnamed witness was unable to appear Wednesday as planned. It is uncertain if the witness will be able to testify Thursday.
According to Business Insider, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen has said he expects to be the final witness called for the prosecution.
On Monday, attorney Robert Costello appeared before the grand jury and came away criticizing the prosecution, according to The New York Times.
“They seemed clearly one-sided and not after the truth,” Costello said. “I told the grand jury that [Cohen] couldn’t tell the truth if you put a gun to his head.”
Tension surrounding the grand jury investigation of the former president spiked Saturday when Trump posted on social media that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday and called for protests.
Although grand jury proceedings are secret, reports have suggested that the potential charge is most likely related to the falsification of business records. The grand jury has been hearing evidence from prosecutors concerning a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
The New York Times reported that the grand jury usually meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and indicated that testimony from one more witness was likely.
After the final witness has testified, prosecutors will ask for a vote on whether to charge Trump. In New York, it takes a majority of the 23 jurors to issue an indictment, which essentially means there is enough evidence of a crime to require a trial.
The Times predicted that the soonest an indictment could be issued is Thursday afternoon.
If indicted this week, Trump — who currently lives in Florida — is expected to travel to New York City next week to be arraigned and processed.
A trial would not take place for several months, meaning that as he campaigns for the White House, Trump could also be facing charges in court.
Bragg has come under severe criticism for seeking to indict Trump on a 7-year-old charge as violent crime runs rampant in Manhattan.
“Here’s what we know about District Attorney Bragg,” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott said, according to NBC News. “He does not want to lock anybody up as it relates to violent criminals. He’s the guy that wants no jails.
“The only thing he wants to do is weaponize the law against his political enemies. President Trump is a victim of that.”
“This is a travesty and it should not be happening, especially in the greatest country on earth,” Scott said.
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