A Manhattan grand jury reportedly won’t decide until at least next week whether to charge former President Donald Trump with crimes related to a hush money payment his associate made to a porn actress ahead of the 2016 election.
Despite Trump suggesting he would be arrested this week, the grand jury assembled by the Manhattan district attorney’s office indicated Thursday that they would not meet about the case for the remainder of the week, multiple outlets reported.
The potential charges are connected to a $130,000 hush money payment Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, made in 2016 to Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with Trump a decade earlier. Cohen claims he made the payment at the behest of Trump, who reimbursed him. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges related to the payment and has met with the grand jury several times.
“I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds,” Cohen told the judge at his 2018 sentencing.
The grand jury was scheduled to assemble Wednesday but Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told them to stay home, though it’s still not clear why that decision was made.
On Saturday, Trump called on his supporters to protest should he get arrested.
“PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK” Trump wrote on his social media website, Truth Social.