UNLESS YOU HAVE A GRAND JURY.
BUT HAVING A GRAND JURY DOES NOT
GUARANTEE YOURE GOING TO GET AN
INDICTMENT.
A JURY, AS YOU KNOW, THATS THE
GROUP OF CITIZENS THAT GETS
CALLED FOR JURY DUTY, LISTENS TO
ALL THE WITNESSES AS LAID OUT
FOR THEM IN THE COURSE OF A
TRIAL.
THERES A TRIAL JUDGE WHO KEEPS
EVERYTHING RUNNING ACCORDING TO
THE RULES.
SORT OF GUIDES THE JURY AS TO
THE BASIS ON WHICH THE JURY
MAKES THE DECISION.
BUT THEN THE JURY DECIDES WHICH
SIDE WON THE TRIAL THATS A
JURY.
A GRAND JURY IS A DIFFERENT
THING ALL TOGETHER.
BOY, WOULD IT HAVE AVOID A LOT
OF NON-LAWYER CONFUSION OVER
TIME IF THEY HAD COME UP FOR A
DIFFERENT TERM FOR IT.
BUT A GRAND JURY IS ANOTHER
GROUP OF REGULAR CITIZENS WHO
GET CALLED FOR JURY DUTY, IN
THIS CASE, GRAND JURY DUTY.
BUT THEY DONT SIT THERE AND
WATCH A TRIAL UNFOLD.
A GRAND JURY SITS THERE AND
WATCHES A PROSECUTOR AND LOOKS
AT EVIDENCE AND LISTENS TO
WITNESSES WHO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
AND THE GRAND JURYS DECISION AT
THE END OF THE DAY IS NOT WHICH
SIDE WON THE TRIAL.
THEYRE NOT WATCHING A TRIAL.
THE GRAND JURYS DECISION AT THE
END OH OF THE DAY IS WHETHER OR
NOT A PERSON IS GOING TO GET
CHARGED WITH A CRIME.
WHETHER AN INDICTMENT IS GOING
TO BE ISSUED SO A DEFENDANT CAN
FACE A CRIMINAL TRIAL.
THATS WHAT A GRAND JURY DOES.
AND A REGULAR GRAND JURY, ONE
CALLED BY STATE PROSECUTORS IN
NEW YORK, THEY USUALLY STATE FOR
ABOUT FOUR WEEKS.
THEY ARE CONVENED ONE OR MAYBE
TWO DAYS PER WEEK FOR FOUR
WEEKS.
AND, YOU KNOW, ANY CHARGES THAT
STATE PROSECUTORS WANT TO BRING
AGAINST ANYBODY DURING THAT
TIME, ANY INDICTMENTS THEY WANT
TO SEEK THEY BRING THAT EVIDENCE
AND THOSE WITNESSES TO THE GRAND
JURY, AND THE GRAND JURY, DURING
THE NORMAL COURSE OF EVENTS IN
NEW YORK, THEY MEET OVER THE
COURSE OF FOUR WEEKS, AND THEY
TAKE CASE AFTER CASE AFTER CASE,
ONE AFTER ANOTHER, MAKING A
DECISION IN EACH INSTANCE AS TO
WHETHER A PERSON IS GOING TO BE
INDICTED, WHETHER CRIMINAL
CHARGES ARE GOING TO BE ISSUED.
WELL, IN THIS NEW REPORTING
ABOUT POTENTIAL CRIMINAL CHARGES
FOR FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP,
THEYRE TALKING ABOUT A
VARIATION ON THAT GRAND JURY
STRUCTURE.
ITS WHAT THEY CALL AN EXTRA
GRAND JURY OR A SPECIAL GRAND
JURY.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" INITIAL
REPORT TONIGHT SAYS THAT THE
SPECIAL GRAND JURY IN THE TRUMP
CASE WILL BE CONVENED TO MEET
NOT FOR THE USUAL FOUR WEEKS,
BUT FOR SIX MONTHS.
AND THIS SPECIAL GRAND JURY IS
NOT GOING TO MEET ONE DAY A
WEEK, MAYBE TWO DAYS A WEEK.
THEYRE GOING TO MEET THREE DAYS
A WEEK FOR A SOLID SIX MONTHS.
AND THIS IS, AGAIN, REPORTEDLY
AN EXTRA GRAND JURY.
THIS IS A SPECIAL GRAND JURY
THAT IS BEING CONVENED ON TOP OF
THE USUAL GRAND JURY THATS IN
SESSION IN THE NORMAL COURSE OF
EVENTS IN THE NEW YORK STATE
LEGAL SYSTEM.
THAT SPECIAL STATUS, THIS
UNUSUALLY INTENSE AND
LONG-RUNNING COMMITMENT THAT
THEY HAVE ASKED THESE GRAND
JURORS TO MAKE, WHY IS THAT?
WHY IS THIS BEING HANDLED BY A
SPECIAL GRAND JURY THATS
MEETING SO MUCH MORE INTENSELY
THAN A NORMAL GRAND JURY?
I DONT KNOW, AND ANYBODY THAT
TELLS YOU THEY KNOW FOR SURE IS
NOT BEING STRAIGHT.
GRAND JURY PROCEEDINGS ARE
SECRET.
AND THEYRE CONSIDERING WHETHER
OR NOT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE
CRIMINALLY CHARGED.
THOSE DELIBERATIONS AND
EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THE
GRAND JURY ROOM HAS TO BE SECRET
AS A BASIC TENANT OF FAIRNESS.
BECAUSE AT THE END OF THOSE
PROCEEDINGS, THE GRAND JURY
DECIDES SOMEBODY SHOULD NOT BE
CHARGED, THAT GRL CHARGES
SHOULDNT BE BROUGHT.
IT WOULD BE EVERYTHING UNFAIR
FOR EVERYTHING TO BE DRAGGED OUT
INTO THE PUBLIC EYE, RIGHT?
A PERSON DIDNT GET CHARGED,
THEN THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE
ASPERSIONS CAST ON THEM BY
PEOPLE KNOWING THEY WERE THE
SUBJECT OF A GRAND JURY PROCESS.
YOU EITHER GET CHARGED OR YOU
DONT.
IT IS SECRET WHAT HAPPENS IN
THAT ROOM.
PROSECUTORS LAY OUT A CASE, ONCE
THEY INDIET THEM AND CHARGE
THEM, THATS THE PUBLIC PART OF
THE CASE.
GRAND JURY PROCEEDINGS ARE
SECRET.
WE DONT KNOW WHATS GOING ON
THERE.
AND WE DONT KNOW EXACTLY WHATS
GOING ON WITH THIS SPECIAL GRAND
JURY THAT HAS BEEN CONVENED TO
HEAR THE CASE RELATED TO TRUMP.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" DOES SAY
IN ITS REPORTING TONIGHT THAT
THE SPECIAL GRAND JURY ISNT
HEARING TRUMP-RELATED STUFF
ALONE.
THEYRE ALSO HANDLING SOME OTHER
MATTERS, SOME OTHER CASES.
SO WHO KNOWS?
BUT IT IS UNUSUAL TO HAVE A
SPECIAL GRAND JURY MEETING THIS
INTENTIONALLY.
AND THE SPECULATION IS THAT
THESE NEW YORK STATE PROSECUTORS
WANT THIS SPECIAL GRAND JURY
AVAILABLE TO WORK WITH UNUSUAL
INTENSITY, THREE DAYS A WEEK FOR
AN UNUSUALLY LONG PERIOD OF
TIME, SIX MONTHS, BECAUSE THEY
ARE ASKING THIS GRAND JURY TO
CONSIDER A PARTICULARLY COMPLEX
OR OTHERWISE INTENSE SET OF