The New York City grand jury, which has been examining evidence and hearing testimonies for nearly two months concerning a hush money payment involving former President Donald Trump, is scheduled to continue its work on Monday. The grand jury could potentially be asked to issue an indictment against Trump today.
The jury's return comes just two days after Trump spoke at his first 2024 presidential campaign rally in Waco, Texas, where he accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of "prosecutorial misconduct." This accusation stems from Bragg's investigation into possible crimes connected to the manner in which the hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels was recorded in official business documents.
Trump has been targeting Bragg on his social media platform, Truth Social, for over a week, as the likelihood of an indictment seemed to grow with the testimony of Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney and fixer. Law enforcement officials have reported that Bragg's office has received numerous threats in recent weeks, including a non-hazardous white powder in an envelope and a letter threatening to kill the DA.
Cohen confessed to paying $130,000 to Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, just before the 2016 election to prevent her from speaking about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. Trump, who denies the affair, later reimbursed Cohen for the payment, which the Trump Organization stated was for legal expenses.
In addition to the Manhattan investigation, Trump faces criminal inquiries by a Georgia prosecutor for possibly illegal efforts to reverse his defeat in the state's 2020 presidential election. He is also under scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Justice for attempts to prevent President Joe Biden from being certified as the winner of the 2020 national election and for retaining classified government records at his Florida residence after leaving the White House.
