No indictment vote for Trump expected this week in Manhattan grand jury probe

The grand jury looking at evidence related to Donald Trump’s hush payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels is no longer expected to vote on whether or not to indict the former president this week.

That news was first reported by local NBC affiliate WNBC, which cited three sources who indicated that the grand jury would not meet on Wednesday and was not expected to hear matters related to this investigation on Thursday. That makes the prospect of a decision one way or the other regarding the former president’s fate highly unlikely before the members return next week.

It wasn’t clear initially why the members of the grand jury had called off their regular session set for Wednesday.

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s office has faced a relentless storm of criticism from the former president and attempts by Republicans on Capitol Hill to disparage the integrity of his office since the grand jury investigation was reported earlier this month to be nearing a decision on an indictment for Donald Trump relating to crimes committed in the process of paying off Ms Daniels in 2016. Those reports triggered a panicked Truth Social prediction of an impending arrest by the former president, which has yet to materialise.

A number of high-profile former Trump allies like Michael Cohen and Hope Hicks are known to have testified to the grand jury already, and the panel issued an invitation for Mr Trump to testify as the investigation entered its final stages.

Outside of the Manhattan courthouse where the indictment is expected, a massive law enforcement presence has been amassed as authorities prep for the possibility of supporters of the former president turning out to protest the investigation; that has yet to happen, however, and appears less likely given that the timing for the decision itself is now completely up in the air.

Mr Trump remains at his residence and resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he is embroiled in efforts to fight both the New York investigation as well as a separate grand jury probe in Georgia investigating his efforts to change the election results in that state. He also remains an active candidate for the 2024 GOP nomination, and spends much of his time taking gratuitous swings at his percieved top rival, Ron DeSantis, as he attempts to goad the Florida governor into a fight.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg has issued a statement warning that his office will not be intimidated as he faces efforts by congressional Republicans to use what limited power they have to obstruct his efforts.