MUELLER USING GRAND JURY IN TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE

Special Counsel Mueller began using federal grand jury in Washington several weeks ago

Washington — Special Counsel Robert Mueller is using a grand jury in Washington as part of an investigation into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to a person familiar with the probe.

The use of a grand jury, a standard prosecution tool in criminal investigations, suggests that Mueller and his team of investigators are likely to hear from witnesses and demand documents in the coming weeks. The person who confirmed to The Associated Press that Mueller had turned to a grand jury was not authorized to discuss the investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Grand juries are common vehicles to subpoena witnesses and records.

Washington — Two bipartisan pairs of senators unveiled legislation Thursday to prevent President Donald Trump from firing special counsel Robert Mueller without cause — or at least a reason good enough to convince a panel of federal judges.

Senators have raised concerns that the president might try to rearrange his administration in order to get rid of Mueller, who is spearheading a probe of Russia’s alleged interference in the presidential election and any possible collusion between the Kremlin and members of the Trump campaign and transition teams.

The proposals come as people familiar with the investigation say Mueller began using a grand jury in federal court in Washington several weeks ago as part of his probe. The development is a sign that investigators continue to aggressively gather evidence in the case.

Federal prosecutors had previously been using a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia, and even before Mueller was appointed, had ramped up their activity, issuing subpoenas and taking other investigative steps.

While Trump cannot fire Mueller directly, many have raised concerns in recent weeks that he might seek to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who recused himself from all campaign-related matters, including the Russia probe. Sessions’s deputy, Rod J. Rosenstein, said he would not fire Mueller without cause — but a new attorney general could supersede his authority.

The blowback from Congress to Trump’s recent public criticism of Sessions was sharp and substantial, as his allies in the GOP told the president to back off. Senate Judiciary Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, even indicated that he would not make time in the Senate schedule to consider a new attorney general nominee.

This week, there have been reports that new White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told Sessions he would not have to worry about losing his job.

But that has not quieted the concerns of the Democrats and Republicans behind the latest efforts to safeguard Mueller — and, by extension, his Russia probe — from presidential interference.