Donald Trump can breathe easy again as the Manhattan Grand Jury won’t be convening to review the case regarding hush money payments the former president made to ex-porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump stirred a massive media storm when he announced this month that he would be arrested, calling for protests should he be yanked away in handcuffs by police. The New York Police Department was fully mobilized should District Attorney Alvin Bragg issue an indictment, with barricades being erected outside the courthouse. No arrest warrant was issued, and the grand jury didn’t reconvene last week. And now, we’re learning that this investigative body won’t meet tomorrow to consider possible charges against Trump (via NBC News):
NEW: The grand jury considering possible criminal charges against former President Trump related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels is not expected to be asked to vote on an indictment this week, sources say. https://t.co/PGXiHlY1xM
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 28, 2023
JUST IN: Manhattan grand jury investigating former President Trump’s alleged role in a scheme to pay hush money to an adult film star will not hear that case again this week, two court sources familiar with proceedings tell CNN via @Lauren_delvalle (First reported by @NBC)
— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCNN) March 28, 2023
The New York grand jury considering possible criminal charges against former President Donald Trump related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election is not expected to be asked to vote on an indictment this week, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The grand jury is not expected to meet on Wednesday, the source said, the next day the panel was regularly scheduled to convene.
The development comes a day after the grand jury concluded its activities on Monday without voting on any indictment stemming from allegations made by Daniels, an adult film star who said she had an affair with Trump beginning in 2006.
The case is reportedly already a shambles, as the statute of limitation on the considered charges has expired. They’re also trying to elevate misdemeanors to felonies. They would have done it by now if they had solid evidence to indict Trump. It’s why Trump’s Truth Social post teasing his arrest was suspect—not even his communications team and staff were aware of such a development. Even liberal commentators were reluctant to get on this ‘arrest Trump’ bandwagon since there isn’t a case here. The longer this drags out, the less likely it is that we’ll see Trump taken into custody by police.
Now, this was even considered is gross prosecutorial overreach which would have been explicitly shown if Trump had been disciplined enough to keep his mouth shut about protests. For many voters, it rehashed the riot of January 6 and muddled the overt bias within this DA’s office. Trump cannot use the 2016 playbook to win again in 2024. Too many voters have seen enough and will vote against him. If he becomes more boring, for lack of a better term, maybe he could have a rehabilitation of his image. Thus far, that isn’t the case, and it’s probably not going to happen.