Trump Denounces Grand Jury Move as a 'Witch Hunt'

Manhattan DA convenes panel, which could lead to charges
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 25, 2021 6:38 PM CDT
Updated May 26, 2021 6:34 AM CDT
Report: DA Convenes New Grand Jury in Trump Case
In this Tuesday, July 7, 2020 photo, Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's Schools," event in the White House.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The Manhattan district attorney's investigation into the Trump Organization has entered a new phase that could lead to an indictment of the former president, insiders say. Sources tell the Washington Post that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has convened a special grand jury that may be asked to consider returning indictments against Donald Trump and other Trump Organization officials. The Post's sources say the panel, which will also consider other matters, will sit three days a week for six months. Vance has also used an investigative grand jury during his inquiry, which has looked into issues including Trump's tax dealings and his relationship with his lenders. The AP confirms the development, and Trump himself denounced it in a statement issued Tuesday evening.

"This is a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in American history,” Trump said, per the Hill. “This is purely political, and an affront to the almost 75 million voters who supported me in the Presidential Election, and it’s being driven by highly partisan Democrat prosecutors.” Sources tell the Post that the Vance investigation is also looking at the compensation received by top Trump Organization executives. Earlier this month, the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James said its probe of Trump's business empire had become a criminal investigation. James' investigators are working with Vance's office. "We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature. We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA," a spokesman for James tells CNN. "We have no additional comment." (More Donald Trump stories.)

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