MANHATTAN DA CONVENES GRAND JURY FOR RAPS VS TRUMP

Manhattan's top prosecutor has convened a grand jury that is expected to decide whether to indict former President Donald Trump should prosecutors present criminal charges in their probe of the Trump Organization, two people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

The panel, convened by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, could also decide to indict executives at the Trump Organization or the business itself if criminal charges are presented, the Post reported.

The grand jury is set to sit for three days a week for six months, according to the newspaper, and will likely hear matters beyond just the Trump Organization probe during that time, Paul LeBlanc reported for CNN.

Without specifically referencing news of the grand jury convening, the former President said in a statement Tuesday evening, "This is a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in American history. It began the day I came down the escalator in Trump Tower, and it's never stopped."

News of the panel signals that Vance's team of prosecutors -- who have been investigating the Trump Organization for more than two years -- could be nearing the end of their probe. Prosecutors are looking into whether the Trump Organization misled lenders and insurance companies about the value of properties and paid appropriate taxes.

The prosecutors are combing through millions of pages of documents, including Trump's tax returns, which they obtained in February after the US Supreme Court blocked Trump's attempt to stop a subpoena to his long-time accounting firm.

The investigation encompasses Trump Tower, the family estate known as Seven Springs, its Chicago hotel and condo tower, as well as the hush money payments made to silence Stormy Daniels, the adult film star who alleges an affair with Trump.

Trump has denied the affair. The Manhattan district attorney's investigation drew renewed attention earlier this month following news that New York Attorney General Letitia James had joined the probe. The attorney general office's investigation into the Trump Organization, which has been underway since 2019, will also continue as a civil probe, but the office recently informed Trump Organization officials of the criminal component.

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