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The grand jury has been hearing evidence from the Manhattan
District Attorney's office about possible crimes related to a
$130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016
presidential election.
The payment was in exchange for her silence about a sexual
encounter Daniels said she had with Trump a decade earlier. If
indicted Trump, who denies an affair took place, would become
the first U.S. president to face a criminal charge in court.
The Washington Post, citing two people familiar with the matter,
said the grand jury hiatus was due in part to a pre-scheduled
two-week break starting April 10, following the April 9 Easter
holiday.
That period also includes parts of the Jewish Passover festival
and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The earliest jurors are
expected to hear the case again is April 24, the Post reported.
Politico and the Associated Press reported similar timeframes.
A law enforcement source told Reuters the grand jury is not
expected to reconvene on the Trump case until after Easter,
without providing a specific date.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office did not immediately
respond to a request for comment. Grand jury proceedings are
secret. The grand jury is believed to meet generally on Monday,
Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.
Trump falsely claimed he would be arrested in the case last
week. He has repeatedly attacked Bragg and warned of potential
"death and destruction" if charged with a crime.
Trump faces several other criminal investigations, including one
tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by his
supporters. He maintains his false claims that his 2020 defeat
was the result of fraud.
(Reporting by Karen Freifeld and Rami Ayyub; Editing by Tim
Ahmann, Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis)
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