The panel, which operates in secret, usually meets on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, prompting speculation that a vote on a landmark indictment against a former president is imminent.
The session on Wednesday was cancelled, unidentified police officials told various US media, without explaining why. The New York Times reported that disruptions in grand jury proceedings are not unusual.
Insider, the outlet that broke the news that the grand jury will not meet this afternoon, quoted a source as saying the panel may not meet again this week.which means the earliest he could make a decision on Trump’s case is Monday.
Preparations for a possible arrest of Trump
With barricades outside the trump tower and the police on high alert, The city has been in suspense for days due to the possibility that the ex-president is indicted by New York State justice, particularly after Trump he claimed over the weekend that he would be arrested on Tuesday, which he did not.
In the United States, prosecutors can present witnesses and evidence to a panel of citizens known as a grand jury, which decides whether a case warrants an indictment.
If indicted, the 76-year-old tycoon would become the first former US president charged with a crime and his aspirations to be elected Republican presidential candidate for the 2024 elections will be complicated.
It would also be the first time a former US president could be seen arrested, fingerprinted, and possibly handcuffed.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg formed the grand jury in January following his investigation into the $130,000 paid to Daniels in 2016.
Grand juries operate behind closed doors to prevent perjury or witness tampering before trials, making their proceedings virtually impossible to follow.
A spokeswoman for Bragg told AFP that she “cannot confirm or comment on grand jury matters.”
Even once the panel makes a decision, it’s unclear when Bragg will announce the charges.
Legal experts have suggested it could be some time before Trump, currently at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, is arraigned before a Manhattan criminal court judge.
What is Donald Trump accused of?
He payment to Daniels was held weeks before the 2016 elections, supposedly to prevent him from going public with an extramarital affair that he says he had with Trump years before.
The inhabitant of the White House between 2017 and 2021 denies the adventure and has described the investigation as a “witch hunt”.
Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen, who testified before the grand jury, told Congress in 2019 that he made the payment on Trump’s behalf and was later reimbursed.
The payment to Daniels, if not properly recorded, could result in a misdemeanor charge for falsifying accounting, experts say. But could be elevated to a felony if sought to cover up a second offenseas a violation of campaign finance laws, punishable by up to four years in jail.
But this is unproven and would be hard to prove in court, analysts say.
An impeachment against Trump would start a process that could last several months, if not longer. He would face many legal issues before jury selection and complicate the job of the Secret Service protecting Trump.
The former president has called for massive demonstrations if he is accusedfueling fears of riots similar to those on January 6, 2021, when pro-Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, but so far the protests have been small and quiet.
The NYPD erected barricades in front of the courthouse and Trump Tower.
Trump faces several criminal investigations at the state and federal level for possible wrongdoing that threatens his new run for the White House, many of them more serious than the Manhattan case.
They include his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state of Georgia, his handling of classified documents, and his possible involvement in the January 6 riots.
Some observers believe an indictment bodes poorly for Trump’s chances in 2024, while others say an indictment could boost support for the former president.
Source: Ambito
