According to reports, the grand jury investigating former US President Donald Trump’s alleged hush-money payment to an adult film actress will not hear the case this week.
Several American news outlets, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported the latest development in Trump’s legal issues.
The grand jury has been convening on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, according to the Xinhua news agency.
The jury was scheduled to return to court on Thursday in lower Manhattan, New York City, but it will reportedly meet about a different case.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is looking into Trump‘s alleged role in a hush-money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.
The $130,000 payment was allegedly made to keep Daniels quiet about an alleged sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006.
Trump has denied the affair occurred, dismissed any misconduct, and claimed that the investigation, which is being overseen by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, is politically motivated.
Trump’s possible indictment has been closely watched because no former American President has ever been charged with a crime.
Republicans have rallied around Trump by blaming Democrat Bragg and claiming that the case is another another example of law enforcement being “weaponised” for political purposes.
Republicans on the House Judiciary, Oversight, and Administration Committees have demanded testimony and records relating to Bragg’s probe.
Bragg’s office responded on Thursday that the Republicans are embarking on an unprecedented inquiry “into pending local prosecution”.
“The District Attorney pledged that the DA’s Office would ‘publicly state the conclusion of our investigation whether we conclude our work without bringing charges, or move forward with an indictment.’ He stands by that pledge,” Bragg’s general counsel, Leslie Dubeck, wrote in a letter to congressional Republicans.
“And if charges are brought at the conclusion, it will be because the rule of law and faithful execution of the District Attorney’s duty require it,” Dubeck added.
