Trump grand jury returns at NOON as DA Alvin Bragg ‘struggles’ with ‘weak’ case
Trump grand jury returns at noon: Panel nears crucial decision as Alvin Bragg ‘struggles’ with ‘weak’ case – and after release of bombshell Michael Cohen letter on Stormy Daniels payments
- Grand jury members for the case were told not to appear in court on Wednesday
- A source told DailyMail.com that prosecutors are “struggling to convince the jury” to indict Trump because it is “a weak case.”
- Panel to reconvene at noon where prosecutors ‘may present one more witness’
The grand jury in Trump’s hush money case will reconvene at noon on Thursday after the Manhattan district attorney told the panel not to show up Wednesday for fear of unrest if charges were brought against the ex-president.
Many expected Donald Trump to be indicted already, but a court official confirmed with DailyMail.com that Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg on Wednesday canceled the grand jury, which met on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday to hear evidence in the case.
It’s still unclear why their meeting was prevented amid reports that the panel needs to hear a final witness before reaching a verdict.
However, a source told DailyMail.com that: “They are struggling to convince the jury to swallow the case. It’s a weak case and has divided the district attorney’s office.”
Other reports suggested the district attorney’s office might consider a change of strategy.
Grand Jury members for the case surrounding Trump’s alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels will reconvene at the Manhattan Courthouse at noon on Thursday
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (pictured March 22, 2023 as he exits the courthouse) canceled the jury Wednesday as sources say prosecutors struggle to convince the panel to indict Trump
Trump has urged his supporters to take to the streets and protest as he remains completely innocent of allegations that he approved a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their affair during the presidential election of 2016.
But amazing new documents obtained by DailyMail.com show that Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen claimed in a 2018 letter that he had not been reimbursed by his client or his companies for the hush money payments to Daniels.
The letter to federal authorities could baffle prosecutors seeking to criminally prosecute Trump for the payment.
Cohen, a star witness in the trial, claims Trump personally repaid him money. He later pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law over the hush money.
Even if Trump is indicted this week, law enforcement sources tell DailyMail.com that he doesn’t have to come to New York for an indictment until next week. This is good news for the former president, who is preparing for one of his first 2024 campaign rallies in Waco, Texas on Saturday.
All 36,000 New York Police Department (NTPD) officers were on alert this week, told in a memo Monday to be in uniform and on standby for deployment. The men and women in uniform are extra present around Manhattan courts this week, with both pro- and anti-Trump protesters descending on the Big Apple.
The police presence included the use of dogs to sweep the area to sniff out bombs and other nefarious items after New York’s courts were flooded with threats earlier this week.
A bomb threat via a 9-1-1 call on Tuesday closed the Manhattan Civil Courthouse Tuesday morning and put proceedings on hold, a court spokesman said.
The threat delayed the start of a New York Attorney General hearing on a separate case involving Trump and his company in a years-long fraud scheme.
Police are using bomb sniffer dogs to patrol the Manhattan Criminal Court area after someone made a bomb threat via a 9-1-1 call on Tuesday
Drug-sniffing K9s were brought to the Manhattan courthouse on Thursday to conduct a sweep before the district attorney and grand jury arrived
Trump posted an image to Truth Social Wednesday evening of him posing with a large group of NYPD and FDNY officers and first responders. There was no text associated with the message.
In a separate post on his social media platform, Trump also reiterated his claims that there was “no crime whatsoever” and accused Bragg of “election interference” in weighing a former — and possibly future — president.
While all eyes are on New York City and police and judicial security inspect the streets, footage surfaced of members of the United State Secret Service (USSS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) setting up base camp at the Peninsula Hotel in Manhattan.
Meanwhile, Trump is leaving the city he once called home, staying instead at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
The NYPD stands guard outside Trump Tower in Manhattan on Thursday morning as the grand jury prepares to reconvene as protesters are expected to continue to demonstrate outside the ex-president’s former residence