Prosecutors have started calling witnesses to a federal grand jury in
Miami after months in which activity in the Trump investigation was
centered on a separate grand jury in Washington. The latest twist
in the inquiry into the disgraced former president's handling of
classified documents is the surprise revelation that a previously
unknown federal grand jury in Florida has recently started hearing
testimony in the case.
There are indications that the Washington grand jury may have
stopped hearing witness testimony in recent weeks, according to
three people familiar with its workings.
As for the Florida grand jury, which began hearing evidence last
month, only a handful of witnesses have testified to it or are
scheduled to appear before it, according to the people familiar with
its workings. At least one witness has already testified there, and
another is set to testify on Wednesday.
In simple terms, the people familiar with the matter said, if both
grand juries are in operation,
it suggests that prosecutors are
considering bringing charges in both Washington and Florida.
It is possible that the disgraced former president could be charged
in one jurisdiction, while other people involved in the case are
charged in the other.
The investigation in Washington is largely(?) complete and that
prosecutors are now poised to make a decision about bringing
charges there while still weighing other potential indictments in
Florida.
Florida investigators have been scrutinising the roles of two Trump
employees at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence, for their
roles in the storage and security of classified documents there.
After prosecutors came to believe that Trump was still holding on to
classified material even after the subpoena, they sent the FBI to
search Mar-a-Lago. Agents hauled away another 100 or so
classified documents that were discovered at the Florida compound
in violation of the subpoena.
(Failure to adhere to a subpoena in the US
can subject someone to criminal or civil
contempt as per Title 18 U.S.C. Sections
401 and 402, and result in a six month
prison term.)
—
That orange jumpsuit is probably being
sized and tailor-made as we speak.
—Excerpted from the NYT, 6 June 2023.