Millions of Americans are anxiously waiting on bated breath for the long-anticipated and widely expected indictment to come crashing down on disgraced ex-President Donald Trump’s head in the ongoing, infamous Manhattan hush-money case — especially after multiple reported leaks from the District Attorney’s office indicated that, when it comes to formal criminal charges against the former president, it is only a matter of when, not if, at this point.
Even scandal-ridden Trump himself has made an outright, albeit dramatic and premature, spectacle out of admitting that he expects to be arrested at the end of this case.
But it’s safe to say at this point that the long-awaited criminal charges against Donald J. Trump aren’t coming anytime too terribly soon.
Politico reports this afternoon that the widely expected Manhattan indictment, connected to Trump’s alleged role in the 2016 hush money payments made to adult film star and alleged former Trump affair partner Stormy Daniels, will be delayed even further still, as the Manhattan grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the investigation is set to take a month-long break from convening. Sources with inside knowledge of the proceedings report that the month-long break is due in large part to a previously scheduled hiatus.
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The publication points out that this extended grand jury break pushes any potential for an official Trump indictment out to at least late April, though they do note that the jury’s schedule is always subject to change at any point. District Attorney Bragg maintains the authority to reconvene the jury during previously planned breaks at his prerogative. This extended break follows a recent cancellation of a previously scheduled session.
The report reads, “In recent weeks, the Manhattan district attorney’s office hasn’t convened the panel on certain days. But it is District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prerogative to ask the grand jury to reconvene if prosecutors want the panel to meet during previously planned breaks.”
The grand jury, which heard testimony in the Trump case on Monday, isn’t meeting Wednesday and is expected to examine evidence in a separate matter Thursday, the person said. The grand jury, which typically meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, is scheduled to consider another case next week on Monday and Wednesday, the person said, and isn’t expected to meet Thursday due to the Passover holiday.
The following two weeks are set to be a hiatus that was scheduled when the grand jury was first convened in January, the person said.”
As it stands, there is no official deadline regarding the jury’s timeline to make a decision on a formal Trump indictment, nor is there any firm guarantee that charges are coming against the ex-president at all. However, the assumption has been rightfully made based on leaks from the DA’s office, confirming that prosecutors offered the former president a chance to personally testify in his defense before the jury, a move that is indicative of an impending vote, as it typically serves as one of the final steps in a grand jury case. Donald Trump and his legal team declined this offer, but sent attorney Robert Costello in his stead as a defense witness meant to discredit testimony delivered to the grand jury by Trump’s former personal attorney and “fixer,” Michael Cohen, who was the one to personally make the alleged 6-figure payment to Daniels.
Read the full report from Politico here.
Featured image via Flickr/Jamelle Bouie, under Creative Commons license 2.0
