The Manhattan grand jury tasked with hearing evidence about former President Donald Trump’s alleged hush-money payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels will not meet Wednesday as scheduled, according to multiple reports.
Jurors were told to stay home and be prepared to meet Thursday, two people familiar with the matter told The New York Times (NYT). The grand jury meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, but it is not required to meet on all three days every week. It remains unclear why the panel is not meeting Wednesday, the New York Post reported. (RELATED: Trump Unveils Plan To ‘Dismantle The Deep State’)
The Manhattan grand jury is not meeting today, confirming Business Insider. That means no indictment vote today https://t.co/3J63bF9bbS
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) March 22, 2023
Trump’s potential indictment could occur as soon as Thursday, depending on whether the grand jury decides to hear from an additional witness, people with knowledge of the matter told the NYT. The jurors heard from a witness until 5 p.m. Monday, and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testified in front of the jury twice the previous week.
Trump said on social media Saturday that he expected to be arrested Tuesday, and called on his supporters to protest the potential arrest. A majority vote by the 23-member grand jury is required for Trump to be indicted before he is potentially arraigned and arrested in Manhattan.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is prepared to indict Trump for ostensibly falsifying business records related to an alleged hush money payment sent to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, the NYT reported. Trump allegedly directed Cohen to send Daniels $130,000 to cover up his purported extramarital affair with Daniels in 2006.