2nd grand jury hints at complexities in Trump inquiry

The latest twist in the inquiry into former president Donald Trump’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.

The grand jury in Florida is separate from the one that has been sitting for months in Washington and has been the center of activity for prosecutors as they investigate whether Trump mishandled classified documents after leaving office or obstructed efforts to retrieve them. Among those who have appeared before the Washington grand jury in the past few months or have been subpoenaed by it, people familiar with the investigation said, are more than 20 members of Trump’s Secret Service security detail.

But 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 testified there, and another is set to testify on Wednesday.

It is an open question why prosecutors impaneled the Florida grand jury — which is sitting in US District Court in Miami — and whether it is now the only one hearing testimony. This uncertainty, which is largely due to the secret nature of grand juries, serves to underscore how much about the management of the documents case by special counsel Jack Smith remains out of public view.

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 Trump could be charged in one jurisdiction while other people involved in the case are charged in the other.

But if only the Florida grand jury is currently hearing testimony, it suggests two possibilities.

One is that 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.

The other is that Smith has decided that Florida is the proper venue for any charges he might bring in the case and has moved the entire grand jury proceeding there, they said.