By Karen Freifeld
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York grand jury probing former President Donald Trump’s alleged role in a hush-money payment to a porn star is not expected to reconvene on the matter until after the April 9 Easter holiday, a law enforcement source said on Wednesday.
The grand jury has been hearing evidence from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office about possible crimes related to a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
The payment was in exchange for her silence about a sexual encounter Daniels said she had with Trump a decade earlier. If indicted Trump, who denies an affair took place, would become the first U.S. president to face a criminal charge in court.
A law enforcement source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was unclear exactly when after the holiday the grand jury would hear evidence again in the Trump case.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Grand jury proceedings are secret. The grand jury is believed to generally meet on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.
Trump falsely claimed he would be arrested in the case last week. He has repeatedly attacked Bragg and warned of potential “death and destruction” if charged with a crime.
Trump faces several other criminal investigations, including one tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters. He maintains his false claims that his 2020 defeat was the result of fraud.
(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Writing by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Howard Goller)
