NEW YORK — The Manhattan grand jury hearing about former President Donald Trump’s “hush money” payment to porn star Stormy Daniels returned to court Monday, a law enforcement source told the Daily News.
The grand jury, which usually starts the day at 2 p.m., was in the building by 1 p.m., the source said. It was unclear whether prosecutors intended to call more witnesses or ask the panel to vote on an indictment against Trump.
Scores of reporters and photographers had the DA’s office surrounded as anticipation continued to build that Trump is about to become the first current or former U.S. president in history to face criminal charges.
The week before last, Michael Cohen testified for the first time before the grand jury impaneled in January after meeting with prosecutors at least 20 times over three years. Cohen thought he was the last witness, but then lawyers for Trump requested the DA hear from Robert Costello, a lawyer who sought to discredit the ex-Trump fixer as a liar.
The attorney, who has represented Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon in various legal matters, wanted to show the panel more than 300 emails about his dealings with Cohen after Trump’s longtime lawyer learned he was under federal investigation. But he said prosecutors weren’t interested in the bulk of the correspondence, which laid out his frustration as Cohen declined to officially retain him and then to pay him for legal advice.
Costello said the six emails prosecutors asked about, first reported by The News, related to him serving as a “back channel” for Cohen to Giuliani and the White House.
The grand jury, which typically sits Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, did not meet on the Wednesday after Costello’s testimony. It was unclear whether they heard anything about the hush money when they returned to court Thursday. Investigative grand juries often hear about multiple investigations the DA is conducting.
Trump has not yet faced any charges from the years-long probe, and it’s not sure he will.
The former president, who’s running for the White House for the third time, has decried the DA’s investigation as a “witch hunt.” His comments attacking DA Bragg on social media have been widely condemned by New York leaders on both sides of the political aisle, with court officials stepping up security at the lower Manhattan courthouses as Trump called on his supporters to protest his possible arrest, prompting a series of bogus bomb threats.
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