Grand jury proceedings are secret, so everything we know about the special grand jury Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has reportedly convened to consider evidence against former President Donald Trump and other Trump Organization executives is either from unidentified sources or speculation by lawyers, especially former prosecutors. The new grand jury's existence, first reported by The Washington Post on Tuesday evening, has been corroborated by The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, and other news organizations.
District attorneys don't generally bring cases to these juries unless they think they have evidence of a probable crime, former prosecutors say. "The prosecutors are convinced they have a case," Rebecca Roiphe, a former assistant Manhattan D.A., told the Post. "That's at least how I read it."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That's also how CNN's Chris Cuomo and his panel read the situation. "This could be different things," including Vance finding "a way to leave it to the jury so if they come up short, it doesn't look like it was on him at the end of his term," Cuomo said. "Or, and this is more likely in this scenario, Cyrus Vance is ready to make a run at one of the most evasive targets we have ever seen. ... The big takeaway is, starting with this process, you may actually see Donald Trump get indicted." Tristan Snell, a former New York State assistant attorney general, predicted no indictments until after Christmas.
At MSNBC, Rachel Maddow cheerfully reminded viewers that Vance's investigation isn't the only legal peril Trump finds himself in.
No former president has ever been charged with a crime. Trump on Tuesday called Vance's investigation a political "witch hunt."
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government buildingSpeed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to USSpeed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU officesSpeed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping missionSpeed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peaceSpeed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
