Former President Donald Trump could face criminal charges Thursday as the Manhattan grand jury considering whether to indict him convenes following the unexpected cancellation of their previous meeting Wednesday.
The grand jury, whose meetings behind closed doors have been closely watched this week, is set to meet for a likely final day of deliberations over what could be the first criminal charges against a former president, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The grand jury’s Wednesday meeting was called off for unknown reasons by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Bragg is reportedly presenting evidence to the grand jury centering on Trump’s alleged 2016 attempts to buy the silence of two women who said they had sex with him, which he denies.
News reports have indicated that the grand jury appears to be wrapping up its work and could vote on an indictment soon. Trump forecasted without evidence over the weekend that he would be arrested Tuesday and called for his supporters to protest. Instead, the grand jury has heard from at least one additional witness this week, and protests have been minimal, as reported by the Independent.
At least one additional witness is expected to go before the grand jury Thursday, but it is not clear who they are, Bloomberg reported. The grand jury on Monday heard from Robert Costello, a witness for Trump’s legal team who testified that an opposing witness, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, was unreliable, the Journal reported.
Cohen was sentenced to prison in 2018 on charges related to the alleged hush money payments – $130,000 to porn actress Stormy Daniels and $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal – which he has admitted making on Trump’s behalf. He has testified multiple times to the grand jury.
Trump has reportedly said that he wants to be publicly handcuffed to make his potential court appearance a “spectacle.”
He said on his Truth Social platform Thursday morning that he was “100% INNOCENT,” adding: “THIS IS NO LEGAL SYSTEM, THIS IS THE GESTAPO, THIS IS RUSSIA AND CHINA, BUT WORSE.”
The Secret Service and multiple other law enforcement agencies have been coordinating security measures for Trump’s potential appearance in court, USA Today reported. The New York Police Department was filmed on Monday putting up steel barricades outside the Manhattan Criminal Court.
