USA, I waited for Trump. Postponing arrest? The grand jury decision

Donald Trump is in Florida, awaiting the “arrest” he announced on social media over the weekend, by Manhattan authorities. While New York prepares for possible protests from supporters of the former president, reinforcing security measures, there are still no clear indications about the tycoon’s imminent indictment for reporting the cash payment of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels to buy your silence. Robert Costello, a lawyer with close ties to Trump’s entourage and a former defender of Steve Bannon and Rudolph Giuliani, was interviewed on Monday at the office of attorney Alvin Bragg, where the grand jury investigating the matter is located. Costello is rumored to have questioned the credibility of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who went from the former president’s right-hand man to being his main accuser. After Costello’s testimony, seen by the Trumpian camp as a last chance to avoid prosecution, it remains unclear whether the grand jury will call more witnesses or is close to ending the investigation. However, there are no indications that Costello’s testimony was conclusive: the only certainty is that the new meeting of the jury that evaluates the accusations was called for tomorrow.

Meanwhile, rhetoric from Trump and some of his Republican allies has been increasingly directed against prosecutor Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, accused of using political justice. New York authorities, aware of the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, have been scrutinizing online chats to monitor any specific threats. However, despite the fact that barriers have been placed in areas of possible protests and surveillance has been stepped up, there are still no immediate signs that Trump’s ‘call to arms’ has been received. On Tuesday morning, Manhattan court hearings were temporarily suspended due to a bomb threat, following a phone call picked up by police. That delayed the start of a hearing in another lawsuit involving Trump and his company over alleged financial fraud.

The one conducted by Alvin Bragg in Manhattan is not the only investigation into Trump that is coming to an end. The former president also risks prosecution in Atlanta and Washington for his role in trying to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. It would be the first time in US history that a former president, also a new candidate for the Casa Bianca, is sent to trial. Completely new ground, confirming the impact Trump has had and continues to have on US politics. But in the meantime, Trump is unlikely to be indicted today in New York, as he himself had announced.