A grand jury has now been convened in connection to the criminal investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance of former President Donald Trump and his business, according to The Washington Post. The publication explains that the grand jury in question “is expected to decide whether to indict former president Donald Trump, other executives at his company or the business itself” if Vance’s team decides to “present the panel with criminal charges.” Convening the grand jury “suggests… 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,” as the Post adds.
Breaking WaPo: Manhattan's district attorney has convened the grand jury that is expected to decide whether to indict Trump, other executives at his company or the business itself should prosecutors present the panel with criminal charges.https://t.co/Z2UHqQ3jB9
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 25, 2021
Rebecca Roiphe, who once served as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, shared with the Post that her take on the latest development is that “prosecutors are convinced they have a case.” Vance has been investigating potential corruption including the possibility that Trump’s business fraudulently adjusted its valuations of its assets in order to obtain financial benefits like tax breaks and favorable loan terms. New York state Attorney General Letitia James has been looking into the same issue, and her office recently announced that her probe is now a criminal investigation.
According to the Post, the grand jury that has newly been convened is slated to operate three days per week across six months, and throughout that time, the group is “likely” to be involved in proceedings other than those tied to Trump, the Post adds. The publication also says that, based on remarks from a source, “it is likely that Trump-related testimony in the secret proceeding has already begun.” Thus, charges for Trump or someone in his orbit could be approaching, if Vance and his team have decided to go that route. Vance’s investigation has already had some substantial successes, including the acquisition of years of Trump’s tax returns for examination.
Vance’s investigation has also included repeated interviews of former Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen, and prosecutors involved in the case have also been seeking the cooperation of Allen Weisselberg, a longtime associate of the Trumps who currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer at the Trump family business.
