Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Jeanine Pirro has taken the highly unusual step of convening a special grand jury in Washington, D.C., less than two weeks after angering President Donald Trump by abandoning a vandalism prosecution he publicly demanded. What the grand jury is investigating remains undisclosed. That secrecy -- combined with the extraordinary powers available to such a panel and Trump's repeated demands for investigations of his perceived enemies -- has left legal experts watching Pirro's next move with intense interest.

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... "This could be very interesting," Elon University law professor Steve Friedland told The Washington Post.

Unlike an ordinary grand jury, which primarily determines whether prosecutors have presented enough evidence to indict someone, a special grand jury can conduct a broader, longer-running investigation.

Under certain circumstances, it may also produce a public report describing its findings"even if prosecutors never bring criminal charges.

That power makes the mystery surrounding Pirro's decision particularly consequential.

Three government officials told the Post that the panel is being overseen by Steven Vandervelden, one of Pirro's closest allies in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

Vandervelden has reportedly played an important role in some of the office's most politically sensitive investigations, including an unsuccessful inquiry involving then-Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and a probe into allegations that the Metropolitan Police Department manipulated crime statistics.

No evidence currently establishes that either matter is the subject of the new special grand jury.

There is also no public indication that Pirro convened the panel to investigate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool controversy, Trump's political opponents or any particular government agency. ...


#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-08-12 05:13 PM | Reply

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