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Is Trump's indictment ruling taking too long?

Insider Senior Correspondent Laura Italiano tells Scripps News the timeline of Trump's possible indictment is going at a normal speed.
Posted at 3:18 PM, Mar 28, 2023
and last updated 2023-03-31 07:27:20-04

The grand jury considering indicting former President Donald Trump is expected to reconvene Wednesday. 

Many may be asking why the process is taking so long. But Insider Senior Correspondent Laura Italiano told Scripps News that's the wrong question to ask.

"We're seeing so many stops and starts in this case. Former prosecutors from Manhattan tell me it's unprecedented for us to be hearing about all of these ups and downs, these new witnesses, surprise witnesses, delays, reconvening — Normally all of the stuff happens in secret. That's why it's seeming like it's taking forever. But it's really just taking as long as it's going to take," Italiano said.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg gets out of a car as he arrives at his office.

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The question to ask, Italiano infers, is why every step of the timeline is being shared. That's what is atypical and, in this case, it's because the possible indictment is regarding a former president.

"Usually grand juries, I'm told, are quite boring to the rest of us. We may know that there's one going on, we may hear from a witness or two coming out, but usually they're a black box and this has not been that," Italiano continued.

On March 18, Trump announced he was expecting to be arrested in a case examining hush money paid to women who alleged sexual encounters with the former president. He used "election interference" rhetoric in his most recent rally, where crowds of supporters gathered in Waco, Texas.

"I bet we will see protesters coming into New York. But I think Trump's going to find that his more far-flung supporters may be priced out of Manhattan," Italiano said.