Associated Press
The independent investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia now reportedly has a powerful new tool: a grand jury.
The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported that a grand jury was empaneled in Washington DC to investigate Russia's interference in the 2016 election.
Reuters reported that the grand jury — panels which usually work in secret — issued subpoenas about the meeting between Donald Trump Jr., a Russian lawyer, and several other participants in June 2016.
A spokesperson for Special Counsel Robert Mueller declined to comment to BuzzFeed News. A lawyer for Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, said he “has nothing to add."
Ty Cobb, special counsel to the president, said he wasn't aware a grand jury was empaneled. "Grand jury matters are typically secret," Mr. Cobb said. "The White House favors anything that accelerates the conclusion of his work fairly....The White House is committed to fully cooperating with Mr. Mueller."
"Former FBI Director Jim Comey said three times the President is not under investigation and we have no reason to believe that has changed," said Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. Comey was fired in early May.
The grand jury was impaneled in recent weeks, the Journal reported. A grand jury may subpoena documents and hear testimony from witnesses to determine if any crimes took place.
The work of the grand jury marks a new phase in Mueller's investigation. If it finds evidence of wrongdoing, it may issue indictments with criminal charges.
The president has strongly denied any wrongdoing by his campaign as well as any ties to Russia. He has called the investigation a "witch hunt" and an attempt by Democrats to justify their loss in the election.
Major arms of the US intelligence community determined last fall that the Russian government was involved in attempts to influence the results of the US election. What remains unknown is if they did that independently — or if they coordinated their efforts with the Trump campaign.
In addition to personal interactions between the president, his campaign, and Russia, the investigation is also considering Trump's potential business ties to Russia, Bloomberg reported, along with CNN.
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/2v1rGLI
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