The Manhattan grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump’s involvement in paying hush money to a porn star won’t take any action today, according to recent reports. It’s been revealed that the grand jury will not be hearing testimony or voting on the case today. As per usual, the jury does not sit on Fridays, which means that a decision on the matter is unlikely to take place this week. The Wall Street Journal explains that jurors are scheduled to convene today, but they are expected to discuss another case.
This investigation is one of several legal battles that Trump is fighting to avoid prosecution. He denies all allegations of wrongdoing and has been unwavering in his claims that the investigation is a politically motivated witch hunt meant to undermine him. The probe in question is focussed on whether or not the former president broke campaign finance laws by making payments to Stephanie Clifford AKA Stormy Daniels. Daniels claims that she had an affair with Trump while he was married and that she was paid hush money to keep quiet about the affair just days before the 2016 presidential election.
In 2018, prosecutors in New York charged Trump’s former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, with making illegal hush money payments to two women, Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, to keep them quiet about their alleged affairs with Trump. Cohen testified that he did so at the direction of Trump, who had reimbursed him for the payments. In December 2018, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York stated in a court filing that Cohen had acted “in coordination with and at the direction of” Trump. The then-president was designated as “Individual-1” in the court documents.
In July 2019, the US attorney’s office announced it had ended its investigation into the hush-money payments, stating that it had “effectively concluded” the probe. However, the investigation was revived in November 2020, after Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani reportedly provided information to the Justice Department about the payments that had not been previously disclosed.
Despite claiming that he was not aware of the hush money payments made by Cohen, Trump has faced intense criticism. Many have argued that if he knew about the payments, he would have violated campaign finance laws. The investigation into Trump’s involvement in the payments has been ongoing, and many legal experts believe that the former president has significant legal exposure in the case.
The grand jury involved in the investigation is a group of citizens empaneled by the court to hear evidence in the case and determine if there is enough evidence for a trial. The proceedings are overseen by a prosecutor who presents evidence to the grand jury. The grand jurors then hear and evaluate the evidence and determine whether there is probable cause to indict Trump. If they determine there is, they will issue an indictment, which would lead to a trial.
The fact that the grand jury is not taking action today is not entirely surprising, as these types of proceedings can take some time. It’s worth noting that grand juries can meet numerous times over several weeks, months, or even years to hear evidence in a case. And it’s not uncommon for grand juries to take breaks and not meet every day, particularly when the case is particularly complex or involves multiple witnesses.
Despite the delay, legal experts are watching the investigation closely, and many believe that it could pose significant legal trouble for Trump. The former president has faced numerous legal challenges in recent years, and this case is just one of them. It remains to be seen how this investigation will play out, but it’s clear that Trump’s legal troubles are far from over.
In conclusion, the Manhattan grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump’s potential involvement in paying hush money to a porn star won’t be taking any action today. It’s been reported that the jury won’t be hearing testimony or voting on the case this week, and it remains to be seen when they will reconvene. Nonetheless, this investigation is just one of several legal battles that Trump is currently fighting, and it could pose significant legal trouble for the former president. Legal experts are closely watching the proceedings, and it’s clear that Trump’s legal woes are far from over.
