Prosecutor in Trump criminal probe convenes grand jury to hear evidence, weigh potential charges
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
NEW YORK — Manhattan's district attorney has convened the grand jury that is expected to decide whether to indict former president Donald Trump, other executives at his company or the business itself should prosecutors present the panel with criminal charges, according to two people familiar with the development.
The panel was convened recently and will sit three days a week for six months. It is likely to hear several matters — not just the Trump case — during the duration of its term, which is longer than a traditional New York state grand-jury assignment, these people said. Like others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. Generally, special grand juries such as this one are convened to participate in long-term matters rather than to hear evidence of crimes charged routinely.
The move indicates that District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.’s investigation of the former president and his business has reached an advanced stage after more than two years. It suggests, too, that Vance believes he has found evidence of a crime — if not by Trump then by someone potentially close to him or by his company.
Vance’s investigation is expansive, according to people familiar the probe and public disclosures made during related litigation. His investigators are scrutinizing Trump’s business practices before he was president, including whether the value of specific properties in the Trump Organization’s real estate portfolio were manipulated in a way that defrauded banks and insurance companies, and if any tax benefits were obtained illegally through unscrupulous asset valuation.
The district attorney also is examining the compensation provided to top Trump Organization executives, people familiar with the matter have said.
A spokesman for Trump and an attorney for the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment. The former president has adamantly and repeatedly denied wrongdoing, deriding the investigation as politically motivated.
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The implication of this news is that the NY prosecutors have concluded that Trump or his children have committed crimes.
I expect a lot of rats will be jumping ship with knives in their backs.
Trump demands that people be 100% loyal to him, no matter what. But his loyalty to his, "friends", stops at the first sign on trouble. Rudy is finding that out right now.
They've had that info for a couple of years at least. Let's go and get this done!!! I am sick to death of this stupid man and his entire stupid family.
I don't think this is true. I think they have evidence on Trump's accountant, Allen Weisselberg. They will try to flip him to implicate the rest of them.
Now that Trump's personal lawyer Bill Barr is not in a position to block the investigation, hopefully it will proceed.
LOCK THE FAT FUCK AND HIS FAMILY UP AND NEVER LET THEM GO
Trump has been a lowlife criminal his entire life. Looks like justice may finally catch up to his fat lying ass.
FINALLY!!!! Now let's just hope that the jurors are unbiased, and not loyal Trumpsters.
Let's just watch and see where this goes.....
Keep in mind that money buys justice in the US.
Until he is actually behind bars, I don't have a lot of hope anymore.
All of you people salivating for charges on Trump are going to have to wait awhile. Sorry to burst your bubble... No penny went in or out of any Trump account without passing through Allen Weisselberg. If the prosecutors really want any of the Trumps they have to flip Mr Weisselberg.
We're not salivating . We're just hoping against hope
On the bright side, it is inconceivable that a grand jury could be convinced that the Trumps were blissfully unaware of financial malfeasance on behalf of Weisselberg.
No one believes the Trumps, especially Donny, were unaware of what was going on. It's a matter of proving it. To do that they have to have someone, preferably more than one someone, to testify under oath.
I think the proof is in the pudding. There are no doubt Trump signatures on a myriad of documents that have been thoroughly scrutinized. If their defense is going to be that they didn’t know what they were signing and that they were the victims, then they are all going to be in for a rough ride on this one.
I suspect Trump's group of attorneys have always scrutinized his deals and associated documents for a long time, especially when he decided to run for president. Nor have we heard a peep from the IRS.