While the grand jury may hear other cases over the next week, the soonest jurors are expected to hear the Trump case again is April 24, said the two people, who were briefed on the plans.
Because the process is secret, it is difficult to know whether the long pause reflects any change in the direction of the case — or whether District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) in fact plans to seek an indictment. A spokesperson for Bragg declined to comment.
Bragg’s office has been investigating whether a payoff to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the home stretch of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign qualified as a campaign donation and should have been documented as such.
The district attorney has been presenting evidence for weeks to a special grand jury that was convened to hear evidence against Trump and other matters. Special grand juries sit for longer terms than regular panels — and this one is slated to sit until mid-summer.
The payments to Daniels were made by Trump’s former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen. According to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss it, Bragg appears to be investigating whether Trump’s reimbursement of Cohen was illegally documented as legal fees paid by Trump to Cohen.
Cohen served federal prison time for campaign finance fraud related to the payments. He also pleaded guilty in 2018 to crimes including tax evasion and lying to Congress.
Trump and his attorneys deny any crime was committed. The former president routinely says that Bragg’s case and other criminal investigations unrelated to this are purely political.
On Wednesday morning, Trump appeared to post about the hiatus on Truth Social, his social media platform. “I HAVE GAINED SUCH RESPECT FOR THIS GRAND JURY, 7 PERHAPS EVEN THE GRAND JURY SYSTEM AS A WHOLE,” he wrote.
In addition to the New York probe, Trump is also under investigation by the Justice Department for allegedly hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home and private club after his presidency, and for inspiring the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. A prosecutor in Georgia is separately investigating whether Trump illegally tried to interfere with the 2020 election results there.
New York courts do not close for observances like Passover, Ramadan and Good Friday, but activity in the courts generally slows down. In addition, New York City public schools are closed from April 6 to April 14, covering Passover, Good Friday and spring break, as well as part of Ramadan, which ends in late April.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
