D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has taken the rare step of convening a 'special' grand jury in Washington, according to the Washington Post.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro walks outside the White House, September 2, in Washington. Mark Schiefelbein/APIt will be overseen by Steven Vandervelden, a key Pirro lieutenant, the Post said. Vandervelden has run some of the office's most contentious investigations - including the failed probe of then-Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and an inquiry into whether D.C. police tampered with their own crime statistics.
Unlike a regular grand jury, a special grand jury can issue a potentially scathing report on the target of an investigation even when prosecutors ultimately decide there isn't enough evidence to bring charges.
"They are very unusual," said Niki Kuckes, a professor at Roger Williams University. "Sometimes they can issue a report, which a regular grand jury can't do."
"It's a very protective scheme. A majority of the grand jurors have to decide to issue the report," Kuckes added. "And a special grand jury has to be set up to investigate some criminal wrongdoing. You can't just have one to issue a report."
The Post notes:
A special grand jury has several uniq
