A Manhattan grand jury determining whether to indict former President Donald Trump reconvened at noon on Thursday after abruptly taking the day off on Wednesday.
Trump, who is currently running for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, is accused of making alleged hush money payments totaling $130,000 to Stephanie Gregory Clifford, a porn star and former stripper known professionally as Stormy Daniels, before the 2016 presidential election.
According to Reuters, Daniels claims that she had sex with Trump in 2006 despite him being married to his wife, Melania.
Michael Cohen, who previously served as Trump’s attorney, allegedly made payment to Daniels on the former president’s behalf to keep her quiet about the alleged affair.
The grand jury, however, is expected to handle a separate case on Thursday.
According to CNBC, Trump also faces three other serious criminal inquiries in Washington, D.C., and Georgia.
His lawyer, Evan Corcoran, will testify before a federal grand jury in Washington D.C. on Friday regarding the Department of Justice’s probe into Trump’s possession of classified government documents at his Mar-A-Lago estate after leaving office.
The DOJ is also investigating Trump for attempting to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat to President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, Democratic strategists and White House allies told NBC News that Biden faces a political risk if he publicly comments on the criminal charges laid against Trump.
“If Mr. Trump is indicted by a state grand jury, Mr. Biden would be wise not to comment on that criminal case, in part because there is an ongoing federal investigation being conducted by a special counsel within the Justice Department,” NBC News legal analyst Chuck Rosenberg, a former Virginia U.S. attorney, said.
If the New York City jury files the charges, Trump will have to travel to New York from Florida for a mug shot and fingerprinting. While there have not been many calls for protests by Trump’s supporters, security officials are preparing for possible unrest should there be any demonstrations.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Drew Angerer/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.