The grand jury is not expected to consider the silence case today
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The secret proceedings in New York could result in prosecutors seeking an indictment against the former president for falsifying business records.
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What to know about Trump’s possible indictment
- Former President Donald Trump faces possible criminal charges in New York over a silent payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
- Trump maintains he has committed no crime and has accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of being politically motivated.
- The case involves accusations that Trump falsified business records. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, testified before the grand jury on Monday.
- The grand jury was due to meet yesterday, but members were then asked to return today. Sources told NBC News the panel will likely consider unrelated cases today.
Special Grand Jury vs. Grand Jury
In some cases, prosecutors use special investigative grand juries dedicated to a case. They are often used in complex cases and their mandate is six months. Regular grand juries hear multiple cases at once and sit for 30 days. In both scenarios, the jury is made up of 23 randomly selected Manhattanites.
The panel that heard testimony in the Trump investigation in Manhattan met on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and was considered a special investigative grand jury. But it’s still unclear whether its members are hearing more than one Trump-related case, or other cases.
Bragg’s office pushes back on House GOP requests for information on Trump investigation
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office today sent a lengthy letter to three House GOP committee chairs, saying they were overstepping their bounds in their quest for information related to the silence case involving Trump. .
General Counsel Leslie B. Dubeck, writing on Bragg’s behalf, said in the letter that the Republican presidents were embarking on an unprecedented investigation “into ongoing local lawsuits.”
In response to a letter that GOP chairs sent Bragg earlier this week seeking information about the Trump case and the federal funding the DA’s office is receiving, she said their “requests are an unlawful foray into the sovereignty of New York”.
“The letter requests nonpublic information about an ongoing criminal investigation, which is confidential under state law,” Dubeck wrote, adding that “it is clear that Congress can have no legitimate legislative duties. regarding oversight of local prosecutors enforcing state law.”
She said Bragg’s office will not allow the congressional investigation to prevent New York from “exercising New York’s sovereign police power”, but also said they would prepare a letter outlining its use. federal funds.
In addition, Bragg’s office wants the opportunity to meet with committee staff “to better understand what information the district attorney’s office may provide that relates to a legitimate legislative interest and may be shared pursuant to the district attorney’s constitutional obligations.”
Dubeck clarified that if charges are brought against Trump, “it will be because the rule of law and the faithful performance of the district attorney’s duty require it.”
Chairman of the House Judiciary Seeks Documents and Testimony from Former Prosecutors in the District Attorney’s Office
House Judiciary Committee Chairman asks former prosecutors Mark Pomerantz and Carey Dunne, who investigated Trump before he left the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office last year, to provide documents and testimony to the panel headed by the GOP.
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio asked former prosecutors to provide documents dating back to January 2017 and any communications in their possession between the bureau and federal law enforcement related to the prosecutor’s investigation of Trump.
“Your actions, both as special prosecutor and since leaving the district attorney’s office, cast serious doubt on the administration of fair and impartial justice in this case,” Jordan wrote in his comments. letters to former prosecutors.
He referred to the resignations of former prosecutors last year, which they said were due to Bragg’s reluctance to press charges against Trump, and a new book by Pomerantz.
The New York grand jury is unlikely to consider a silent money case for the rest of the week
The Manhattan grand jury that investigated the silence case involving Trump is not expected to consider it today, NBC News confirmed.
The grand jury was scheduled to return to lower Manhattan court on Thursday, but is expected to reconvene for another case, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Jury members met on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and were told by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to stay home yesterday.
The developments come as the grand jury appears to be nearing a vote on whether to indict the former president in the silence case.
In special counsel case, Trump attorney Corcoran spotted at courthouse
Evan Corcoran was spotted at the federal courthouse in Washington this morning for a closed hearing before Chief Justice James “Jeb” Boasberg, who just took the No. 1 spot on the DC Circuit. The hearing may be linked to a subpoena issued by Special Counsel Jack Smith for the testimony of former Vice President Mike Pence.
Trump calls Bragg an ‘ANIMAL SUPPORTED BY SOROS’
The former president lashed out at the Manhattan District Attorney on his Truth Social account, calling Bragg a “SOROS-SUPPORTED ANIMAL WHO DOESN’T CARE FOR GOOD OR EVIL, NO MATTER HOW MUCH PEOPLE ARE INJURED “, a reference to liberal megadonor George Soros. , who supported Bragg’s campaign for DA through the Color of Change PAC.
“WHY WON’T BRAGG DROP THIS CASE? EVERYBODY SAYS THERE IS NO CRIME HERE. I DID NOTHING WRONG! IT WAS MADE UP BY A CONVICTED WORK WITH ZERO CREDIBILITY, WHICH HAS BEEN CHALLENGED BY HIGHLY RESPECTED PROFESSIONALS AT EVERY TURN,” Trump said, referring to Cohen, his former attorney.
Trump added: “THIS IS NOT A LEGAL SYSTEM, IT’S THE GESTAPO, IT’S RUSSIA AND CHINA, BUT WORSE. SHAMEFUL!”
Why Biden Isn’t Talking About Trump’s Potential Indictment
So far this week, President Joe Biden has announced new measures to conserve land and water. He met with the cast of “Ted Lasso” to discuss mental health and released a 500-page report on the economy.
It lacks any acknowledgment of the drama that has shaken much of Washington: the possible criminal indictment of his past and potentially future rival, Donald Trump.
There is no plan specifying what a president should do when a predecessor is charged with a crime – something that has never happened in the country’s history. Biden’s approach, so far, has been to remain silent and avoid a melee that threatens to draw him in, Democratic strategists and people close to the White House said.
Judge applies ‘criminal fraud’ exception in Trump’s other legal probe
The case being investigated by the Manhattan district attorney isn’t the only one moving forward against Trump.
In the investigation of classified documents found at Trump’s Florida residence, Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office presented enough evidence to establish that the former president committed a crime through his lawyers, a U.S. district judge said Friday night, a source with knowledge of the proceedings confirmed. at NBC News.
Washington, DC-based U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell did not rule on Trump’s guilt.
Howell spoke out in favor of applying the “criminal fraud” exception, which would allow prosecutors to compel Trump’s lawyer, Evan Corcoran, to testify.
The grand jury is expected to return today
The grand jury is due to return today – opening up the possibility that prosecutors could ask the panel to vote on an indictment of Trump.
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