Report: NY Trump Grand Jury to Take Weeks-Long Break

Facts

• The Manhattan grand jury deciding whether former Pres. Trump should be indicted on campaign finance violations will reportedly be dismissed, beginning next week, until late April.¹
• The hiatus is part of a pre-planned two-week break scheduled for April 10 — the day after Easter — and will continue to include parts of Passover and Ramadan. While jurors may hear other cases over the next week, the soonest they'll hear about Trump again is April 24.²
• This follows widespread speculation over whether Trump was about to be indicted, spurred by a longtime Trump friend and potential key witness seen leaving the court building and Trump posting on his social media platform that he'd be imminently arrested.³
• Some also thought the jury decision was near after District Attorney Alvin Bragg offered Trump a chance to testify before the panel, which is typically the final step of a criminal investigation. Trump declined the offer.⁴
• According to Touro Law Center criminal law professor Richard Klein, it's not unusual for juries to take breaks during holidays, but it's unclear why this panel isn't hearing testimony surrounding the case on some other customary days.³
• The case revolves around a $130K payment former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen made to Stormy Daniels, which could be an infringement of campaign funds.⁵

Sources: ¹Forbes, ²Washington Post, ³The Columbian, ⁴POLITICO, and ⁵ITN.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Red State. Though the going narrative is that this break was "pre-planned," Alvin Bragg has every power to convene the jury whenever he chooses. If he was close to indicting Trump, he would, but he isn't and is stalling to save face. This alternative theory makes more sense since Trump only gains more political support the longer this witch hunt lags on. As Bragg keeps grasping at straws, the Democrats' chances of jailing Trump grow smaller and smaller.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Salon. While this decision is certainly unusual given the jury has already taken a hiatus, it's likely that Bragg is ensuring all his ducks are in a row before an indictment. Trump has been using social media to try and derail his fate for weeks. This is why Bragg is staying calm — he wants to make sure his approach is flawless.

Predictions