The Manhattan grand jury tasked with investigating former president Donald Trump's involvement in a hush money case is not expected to hear new evidence for the next month, the latest instance of the Manhattan district attorney’s office calling off grand jury meetings that has fueled speculation an arrest may not take place.
The break was previously scheduled when the jury was convened in January, Politico reported. Though District Attorney Alvin Bragg can reconvene the group at any time, the break would push an indictment of the former president into at least late April.
The grand jury’s meetings have been delayed multiple times since Trump’s March 18 announcement that he would be arrested. Prosecutors are looking into Trump’s role in a $130,000 payment to pornstar Stormy Daniels, who said she had an affair with the former president. Trump has denied the relationship.
It’s the latest development in what Republicans have called political weaponization of the courts. House Republicans criticized Bragg and said they may call him into Congress. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.), told the Washington Free Beacon last week that putting Bragg on a witness stand is their "top priority."
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.) said the House is ready to use subpoenas.
"Sadly there have been so many agencies, both federal and local, behaving like this," Scalise said. "You see people abusing their position of government power to go after political enemies."
The grand jury is expected to work on other cases in the coming days, Politico reported based on a source familiar with the jury's proceedings:
The grand jury, which heard testimony in the Trump case on Monday, isn’t meeting Wednesday and is expected to examine evidence in a separate matter Thursday, the person said. The grand jury, which typically meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, is scheduled to consider another case next week on Monday and Wednesday, the person said, and isn’t expected to meet Thursday due to the Passover holiday.
The following two weeks are set to be a hiatus that was scheduled when the grand jury was first convened in January, the person said.