{"id":2644217,"date":"2026-08-13T06:44:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-is-a-special-grand-jury-latest-jeanine-pirro-move-stirs-up-questions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T06:50:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:50:41","slug":"what-is-a-special-grand-jury-latest-jeanine-pirro-move-stirs-up-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-is-a-special-grand-jury-latest-jeanine-pirro-move-stirs-up-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a special grand jury? Latest Jeanine Pirro move stirs up questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhat-is-a-special-grand-jury-latest-jeanine-pirro-move-stirs-up-questions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2644217&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A report indicates that the Justice Department has convened a rare special grand jury in Washington, raising questions about the purpose and workings of this investigative tool. Unlike regular grand juries, a special grand jury can investigate federal crimes and perhaps issue public reports on misconduct by public officials, even without bringing criminal charges. The formation of this jury, overseen by special counsel Steven Vandervelden, might potentially be linked to ongoing high-profile investigations involving figures like Jeanine Pirro, who is reportedly involved in investigating certain cases, including one involving a case dismissal against former Olympian David Hearn. The timing and purpose of the jury&#8217;s creation are unclear, with some experts suggesting it might be used to explain why charges are not pursued or to investigate misconduct within the federal government, possibly during the Biden administration. The process requires court approval and guarantees defendant rights, and the jury can serve up to 36 months. The inquiry&#8217;s scope remains unspecified, but it potentially allows for reports that could recommend disciplinary actions or shed light on uncharged misconduct.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A report that the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department<\/a> has convened a rare special grand jury in Washington has raised questions about how the little-used investigative tool works and what, if anything, U.S. Attorney <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jeanine-pirro\/\">Jeanine Pirro<\/a> plans to use the rare investigative move to advance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Special grand juries can investigate alleged federal crimes, much like ordinary grand juries, but they carry a significant additional power. In limited circumstances, they can issue a public report about details from an investigation that are normally kept hidden from public view when prosecutors do not bring criminal charges.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4685373\/special-grand-jury-latest-jeanine-pirro-move\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>What is a special grand jury? Latest Jeanine Pirro move stirs up questions<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4685417\/trump-lawsuit-paid-early-access-truth-social-posts-market-manipulation\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump sued for selling early access to market-shaking Truth Social posts<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4685235\/jack-smith-deputies-democracy-forward\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Jack Smith\u2019s former deputies join anti-Trump legal advocacy organization<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro prepares to give a television interview outside the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-image-caption=&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro prepares to give a television interview outside the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/pirro-government-waste.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro prepares to give a television interview outside the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<br \/><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Wednesday morning, the <em>Washington Post<\/em> cited <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2026\/08\/12\/pirro-convenes-unusual-grand-jury-dc-that-can-focus-single-case-issue-report\/\">three anonymous government officials<\/a> who said that Pirro\u2019s office assembled a special grand jury and that special counsel Steven Vandervelden would oversee it. Asked about the report, a spokesman for Pirro did not deny that a special grand jury exists in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> but said, \u201cWe don\u2019t confirm or deny the existence of investigations.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reported panel\u2019s mission is unknown, though Pirro has relied on\u00a0Vandervelden to investigate some of her most high-profile cases, including an investigation into then-Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and an inquiry into allegations that the Washington, D.C., police force purposely skewed its crime statistics, which resulted in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4555638\/mpd-remove-top-official-crime-data-manipulation\/\">13 officers getting placed on leave earlier this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other cases Vandervelden has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/justice-department\/ex-gop-staffer-pirro-aide-tried-failed-indict-democrats-social-media-v-rcna258784\">reportedly<\/a> played a role in have faced larger setbacks, including the failure to secure indictments against six Democratic lawmakers over a video advising military and intelligence personnel to reject unlawful orders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, the special grand jury\u2019s reported formation comes as\u00a0President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> has publicly pressed the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\">Justice Department<\/a> to pursue perceived political adversaries and as Pirro faces her own scrutiny from the president over a recent decision to drop a case against former Olympian David Hearn.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pirro\u2019s office last week moved to dismiss charges against Hearn, whom prosecutors accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The government said it determined the purported damage resulted from a faulty installation, not vandalism. Trump publicly criticized the decision, saying Pirro \u201cchoked\u201d by moving to dismiss the charges, and called for the case to be revived.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The officials cited by the <em>Washington Post<\/em> said paperwork to establish the special grand jury was submitted before Pirro\u2019s office sought dismissal of the Hearn case. The timing has added to questions about the purpose of the reported panel, although no evidence has emerged linking it to the Hearn matter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A special grand jury differs from the ordinary grand juries prosecutors regularly use to seek indictments. It can investigate alleged violations of federal criminal law in the district, its proceedings generally remain secret, and prosecutors must establish probable cause to obtain an indictment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The key difference is the potential for a report. Under\u00a0the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/18\/3333\">United States Code<\/a>, a special grand jury may submit a report about noncriminal misconduct by an appointed public officer or employee when it involves organized criminal activity. The report may recommend removal or discipline even if no one is charged.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It cannot be a free-standing political review. Any report must arise from an authorized criminal investigation, be supported by a preponderance of the evidence, and receive court approval before release. A person named in one must have an opportunity to testify and present defense witnesses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said a public report can sometimes provide a mechanism to explain why evidence did not support charges in a politically unpopular case. He said that prosecutors\u2019 decision to dismiss the Hearn case without prejudice, for example, means prosecutors could pursue the case again and that a special grand jury report could, in theory, lay out why a prosecution was not warranted.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s the only time a prosecutor wants to \u2018lose\u2019 before the grand jury,\u201d Rahmani said, offering a possible rationale for the special grand jury\u2019s formation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at former Vice President Mike Pence\u2019s think tank Advancing American Freedom, said the scope of reporting authority is what most distinguishes a special grand jury from a conventional one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat means that this special grand jury could go after employees in the federal government who engaged in misconduct during the Biden administration and are still employed there,\u201d Spakovsky said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While not aware of the specific intent behind the special grand jury, he added that a potential inquiry could, in theory, examine alleged suppression of \u201cthe Biden family corruption,\u201d among other possible misconduct.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a historical comparison, Spakovsky pointed to the public report issued after a federal grand jury investigated fraud in Chicago\u2019s 1982 Illinois election. In a paper he authored back when he was at the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/election-integrity\/report\/where-theres-smoke-theres-fire-100000-stolen-votes-chicago\">Heritage Foundation, he stated<\/a> the report was released in 1984 after an investigation that resulted in 65 federal election crime indictments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mechanism is unusual in the District of Columbia, in part because Washington falls below the population threshold requiring a special grand jury. Because of this, the chief judge would receive written certification from the attorney general, another senior DOJ official, or a designated assistant attorney general that one is necessary because of criminal activity in the district.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4683232\/doj-possible-new-reflecting-pool-vandalism-charges-trump\/\">DOJ WON\u2019T RULE OUT NEW CHARGES FOR REFLECTING POOL VANDALS AS TRUMP CALLS TO REVISIT DROPPED CASES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The filing would go to Chief Judge James Boasberg, though Rahmani said a judge is not required to sign off on the special grand jury\u2019s formation. It is unclear whether Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/todd-blanche\/\">Todd Blanche<\/a>, another listed official, or a properly designated assistant attorney general authorized any certification.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once impaneled, a special grand jury normally serves 18 months, though a court can extend it in six-month increments, generally up to 36 months.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justice Dept. forms rare grand jury; purpose unclear<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2644218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pirro-special-grand-jury.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[23458,55208,38446,53835,33211],"class_list":["post-2644217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-courtroom","tag-grand-jury","tag-jeanine-pirro","tag-judicial-process","tag-legal-news"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pirro-special-grand-jury.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2644217"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2644221,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644217\/revisions\/2644221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2644218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2644217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2644217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2644217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}