Trump grand jury won’t hear case again Thursday
- The case centers on hush money payments made in 2016
- Former President Donald Trump has denied any wrongdoing and called for protests
- Trump could be charged with falsifying business records
This story has been updated to clarify the grand jury’s status.
(NewsNation) — The New York grand jury looking into former President Donald Trump’s alleged hush-money payments will not hear testimony in the case Thursday, sources told NewsNation.
It means a possible indictment won’t come down until next week at the earliest, if at all. The jury usually meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The grand jury was sent home Wednesday, but no explanation was given.
Much about what comes next remains unclear.
Prosecutors have signaled that an indictment is likely, but it’s still unclear whether the grand jury will hear from additional witnesses in the case.
The investigation centers around payments made to porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 to cover up an alleged affair between her and Trump. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating whether those payments were illegally concealed.
The jury heard testimony earlier this week from one of its final witnesses, Robert Costello, a lawyer, earlier this week.
If no other witnesses are called, this decision could be put to the vote and 12 of the 23 jurors would have to vote in favor of an indictment to hand one down.
An indictment would mark an unprecedented moment in American history: the first criminal case against a former U.S. president.
If an indictment is handed down, it would be sealed until the arraignment, so the public wouldn’t necessarily know about it unless Trump announced it on social media.
Trump claimed over the weekend on his Truth Social platform that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday, which did not happen. He had urged his followers to protest the arrest.
As the world waits to see whether the grand jury indicts Trump, police erected barricades around a courthouse in lower Manhattan.