Prosecutors in New York have called a special grand jury to consider evidence in a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business dealings, a person familiar with the matter cited by The Associated Press said Tuesday.
That indicates that the Manhattan district attorney’s office was moving toward pursuing charges as a result of its two-year investigation, which included a lengthy legal battle to obtain Trump’s tax records.
The person familiar with the matter was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity. The news was first reported by The Washington Post.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into a variety of matters, including secret payments paid to women on Trump’s behalf, property appraisals and employee compensation.
The Democratic prosecutor has been using a grand jury of investigation throughout his investigation to issue subpoenas and obtain documents. That panel continued to function while other grand juries and judicial activities were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The investigation includes scrutiny of Trump’s relationship with his lenders; a donation of land you made to qualify for an income tax deduction; and write-offs of taxes your business claimed over millions of dollars in consulting fees you paid.
Trump maintains that the investigation is a “witch hunt.”
“This is purely political and an affront to the nearly 75 million voters who supported me in the presidential election, and it is being pushed by highly partisan Democratic prosecutors,” Trump said in a statement.
With information from VOA
