New York's judiciary has postponed the possibility of impeaching former US President Donald Trump until next week, two US media outlets reported Wednesday, as legal complications surround the former president's relationship with actress Stormy Daniels.
US media have speculated that a grand jury could vote on Wednesday evening in favor of an indictment, but it could take until next week for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Berg to announce an indictment.
Trump could then appear before a judge after being symbolically detained for a few minutes.
However, the New York Times and Insider, citing two judicial sources, reported that the grand jury meeting had been canceled. The jury will not vote before the end of the week, despite meeting Thursday as scheduled.
Trump will have to answer in court in New York over the payment of $130,2016 before winning the <> presidential election to actress Stormy Daniels, with whom he supposedly had an affair.
Speaking to Agence France-Presse, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor declined to "confirm or comment on matters relating to the grand jury".
Handcuffs and fingerprints
Trump had previously confirmed he would be arrested Tuesday in connection with bribery payments to a actress, but nothing happened.
If arrested or even charged, it would set a precedent for a former president in the United States, as no American president has ever been indicted, whether in office or after he left the White House.
He may be photographed, fingerprinted, or handcuffed for a few minutes, depending on U.S. legal proceedings. But New York's judicial authorities want to avoid such a spectacle and the media and political chaos that might follow.
Trump has denounced a Democratic-led "campaign of persecution" as his calls for "protest" have failed.
Misdemeanor or felony
The case of actress Stormy Daniels is legally complicated, as the judiciary in New York seeks to determine whether Trump is guilty of misrepresenting data, which is a misdemeanor, or of violating campaign finance laws, which constitutes a criminal offense, by paying $130,<> to the woman.
The woman, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was paid in the weeks leading up to the November 2016 election to buy her silence about an affair believed to have existed between them outside marriage, according to the charges.
The investigation, which took years, accelerated last week. Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, testified before the grand jury.
It was Cohen's lawyer who paid the payment in 2016 and has since become his enemy, and actress Nevha has cooperated with prosecutors and the panel itself.
Donald Trump was also invited to speak before the jury, according to the US press. One of his lawyers said he would voluntarily "respond" to a subpoena from the judiciary in New York.