Trump Praises Manhattan Grand Jury, Says He’s ‘Gained Such Respect’

Former President Donald Trump praised the grand jury impaneled in the Manhattan district attorney’s inquiry targeting him amid reports that he may be indicted soon.

“I have gained such respect for this grand jury, & perhaps even the grand jury system as a whole,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“The evidence is so overwhelming in my favor, & so ridiculously bad for the highly partisan & hateful district attorney, that the grand jury is saying, hold on, we are not a rubber stamp, which most grand juries are branded as being, we are not going to vote against a preponderance of evidence or against large numbers of legal scholars all saying there is no case here. Drop this sick witch hunt, now,” he continued to say.

The former president did not elaborate. It’s not clear if Trump was reacting to leaked information that was published by media outlets or if he had insider information.

Anonymously sourced reports that emerged Wednesday claimed the grand jury would take a break for a month. A report from Politico that cited “a person familiar with the proceedings” said that evidence in the case won’t be heard by the grand jury due to a “scheduling hiatus.”

Alina Habba, an attorney for Trump, told The Epoch Times via email Wednesday that the DA’s office is “bringing repeat witnesses in and it appears the grand jury is not having it. It is not normal to take a three week break when you are up against a statute of limitations.”

The Epoch Times could not immediately confirm those reports. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has not responded to a request for comment.

Prosecutors are investigating Trump’s alleged role in a $130,000 payment that was made to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress, who previously said she had an affair with Trump in the early 2000s. Trump has denied the affair and any wrongdoing associated with the payment, which was reportedly made during his 2016 presidential campaign.

On March 18, Trump wrote on social media that he expected to be indicted three days later and called for protests. That day came and went without any arrest, and Bragg’s office later wrote a letter to House Republicans saying that the former president erroneously claimed that he would be arrested.

A Trump-associated lawyer, Robert Costello, told Newsmax on Tuesday that he believes former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified before the grand jury. Reports claimed that Pecker met with former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in August 2015 to suppress stories about alleged affairs.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Pecker testified before the grand jury but was recalled back by the DA’s office on Monday. Costello, who testified last week, told reporters that he sought to discredit testimony from Cohen, who pleaded guilty to tax fraud and other charges years ago, and described him as an unreliable witness.

For the past week, Trump has focused heavily on Bragg’s investigation and said it is politically motivated. Bragg is a Democrat, while Trump is seeking a Republican presidential nomination for the 2024 race.

Over the past weekend, his attorney, Joe Tacopina, told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that Trump’s social media post announcing his looming arrest was based on information that was leaked to the media.

“He didn’t make it up, he was reacting toward a lot of leaks coming out of the district attorney’s office. There had been a leak … that Monday, the day before that Tuesday, there was a law enforcement meeting including Secret Service and NYPD that was going to go through the logistics of the arraignment,” Tacopina said.

“And then there was, of course, a lot of rumors regarding the arraignment being the next day. So I think he just assumed based on those leaks that that’s what was going to happen. So it wasn’t about making it up, and certainly he doesn’t want to be arrested,” Tacopina said of Trump.

The former president is also being investigated in Georgia over his activity after the 2020 election. The Department of Justice (DOJ) appointed a special counsel last year to consolidate multiple investigations targeting Trump, including whether he mishandled allegedly classified materials that resulted in the FBI raiding his Florida residence last August.

That special counsel, Jack Smith, is also investigating Trump’s statements before the Jan. 6, 2021, breach at the U.S. Capitol. The 45th president has denied wrongdoing and said investigators are engaged in a “witch hunt.”