NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Donald Trump could soon be indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in a case connected to a 2016 “hush money” payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels, allegedly on Trump’s behalf. Law enforcement agencies like the NYPD and Secret Service have been planning meticulously for Trump’s possible arrest. Barricades are up outside Manhattan Criminal Court and Trump Tower. The indictment of a former president would be unprecedented in U.S. history, and authorities are preparing for protests and any other outcome.
THURSDAY, MARCH 23
11 a.m. – Manhattan DA: Trump “created a false expectation” of his imminent arrest
In a letter to House Republicans on Thursday, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said Donald Trump "created a false expectation that he would be arrested" earlier this week.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that he expected to be arrested Tuesday in the case, prompting the Republican chairmen of three House committees to rally around him and send a letter to Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg seeking information about his actions in the Trump case, which they characterized as an “unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority.”
In their letter, the Republicans requested testimony as well as documents and copies of any communications with the Justice Department.
"The letter only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene. Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry," reads the multi-page letter from the D.A.
10 a.m. – Grand jury not expected to meet again on Trump case this week: reports
The grand jury in the Trump "hush money" investigation is unlikely to reconvene in the case for the remainder of the week, according to multiple reports Thursday.
The grand jury will meet in Lower Manhattan on Thursday, but they’ll be looking at a different case, which is not unusual for grand jurors to do, multiple sources told both ABC News, NBC News and CNN.
The grand jury is expected to reconvene in the Trump case on Monday at the earliest.
Jurors have been meeting Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, but they were asked to stay home on Wednesday for an unknown reason. They were expected to hear from another witness that day, but it’s unclear who it is.
The Manhattan D.A. declined comment to the reporting outlets.
9:30 a.m. - Alvin Bragg arrives at Manhattan D.A.'s Office
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was spotted heading into the Manhattan D.A.'s Office in Lower Manhattan on Thursday morning as the grand jury is expected to reconvene.
Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran was also seen entering the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan on Thursday morning, according to Politico reporter Kyle Cheney, who noted his visit may be related to “other grand jury matters connected to Trump.”
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court in a sealed order directed Corcoran to turn over to prosecutors documents in the investigation into the former president's retention of classified records at his Florida estate.
7 a.m. – Grand jury expected to reconvene Thursday
The grand jury in the Manhattan D.A.’s Trump investigation is expected to report back to work Thursday after their Wednesday session was unexpectedly called off by prosecutors. It wasn’t immediately clear why Wednesday’s meeting—when another witness was set to testify—was postponed. Sources told the Associated Press it wasn’t connected to security concerns.
The grand jurors were told to be on standby for Thursday, the sources said. Despite the break, jurors appear to be nearing a decisive vote on whether or not to indict Trump.
The panel has been probing Trump’s involvement in a $130,000 payment made in 2016 to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her from going public about a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump years earlier.
Trump has denied the claim, insisted he did nothing wrong and assailed the investigation, led by Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, as politically motivated. At last check, Trump remained in Florida on Thursday.
6 a.m. – All quiet at Trump Tower on Thursday morning
Trump Tower was quiet Thursday morning as police continued to monitor social media for potential protests. The NYPD, Secret Service, Homeland Security and other agencies have been preparing for any outcome when the grand jury votes to either indict or not indict the former president. Grand jurors are expected to return to work Thursday; if they don’t come to a decision that day, they won’t be back until next week, sources said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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