Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, was paid $130,000 by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer. Trump reimbursed him after becoming president, in installments that were designated legal fees.
Bragg (D) has declined to give details of the investigation, and his office declined to comment Thursday. But he is believed to be considering charges related to the payments that would include falsifying business records, possibly in commission of another, campaign-related crime.
It is up to Bragg to decide whether to ask the grand jury to vote on charging Trump, who has denied wrongdoing and dismissed the probe as politically motivated.
Speculation that Trump would soon be indicted started building earlier this month, when Bragg offered the former president a chance to come before the grand jury — a courtesy given to potential defendants if they become aware they are under investigation and their lawyers request it.
Trump fanned the flames himself by announcing on social media on Saturday that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday.
In the past week, lawyers for Trump have pressed Bragg’s office to present grand jurors with evidence that could potentially demonstrate Trump’s innocence. Robert Costello, who years ago was briefly a legal adviser to Cohen, testified Monday at the request of Trump’s legal team. He later told reporters that his testimony would show Cohen was untrustworthy and lying about the Daniels matter.
On Wednesday, Trump attorneys also asked Bragg’s office to show the grand jury a 2018 letter from a lawyer for Cohen to the Federal Election Commission. The letter claimed Trump campaign funds were not used to cover the Daniels payment.
Security officials briefed on the planning said Monday, the day Costello testified, that the grand jury was expected to meet again on Trump on Wednesday. But that did not happen.
On Thursday, amid news reports that the grand jury proceedings were on hold at least until next week, Trump posted a statement proclaiming “Total disarray in the Manhattan D.A.’s Office” and recalling one of Bragg’s long-serving predecessors, Robert Morgenthau.
“Tremendous dissension and chaos because they have NO CASE, and many of the honest people in the Office know it, and want to do the right thing,” Trump wrote. “They think back to the Late, Great, Bob Morgenthau, the best ever, and know what he would have done. JUSTICE FOR ALL!”
