Robert Mueller is using every tool at his disposal to investigate alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in Washington, D.C., to further the investigation, and the jury has been operational for several weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

President Donald Trump has continually slammed the investigation as a witch hunt and has reportedly contemplated firing Mueller, while Republican congressman Trent Franks has said Mueller should stand down due to his supposedly close relationship with ex-FBI director James Comey.

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But the impaneling of a grand jury indicates that Mueller is in it for the long haul.

Grand juries are composed of members of the public and are larger than trial juries, which have a maximum of 12 people. Grand juries can consist of between 16 and 23 people and sit for months at a time, CNN reported.

The proceedings of grand juries are conducted in secret. There is no cross-examination or presentation by the defense, but jurors can ask witnesses questions. The purpose of a grand jury is not to determine guilt or assign punishment; rather, grand juries examine evidence presented by prosecutors; have powers to subpoena witnesses and documents; and ultimately decide whether an indictment, or criminal charge, should be brought.

The United States is one of only a handful of countries to use grand juries; it is a remnant of British influence, but the U.K. did away with the system in the 16th century. In recent years, controversial cases to go before a grand jury include that of Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot and killed black teenager Michael Brown in August 2014; that grand jury decided not to indict Wilson. A grand jury also declined to indict New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo in December 2014; Pantaleo had placed Eric Garner, a 44-year-old black man, in a chokehold that led to his death in July 2014.

In relation to the Russia investigation, federal prosecutors in Virginia have already issued grand jury subpoenas as part of a probe into Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security advisor who was fired in February for failing to disclose contact with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. Mueller’s decision to impanel a grand jury suggests that the special counsel will need to subpoena records as part of his investigation, legal experts told the Journal.

Mueller himself has not commented on the grand jury and the totality of what the special counsel is investigating is not clear. But reports in July claimed that Mueller had requested the identity of a Russian translator who attended a June 2016 meeting that included Donald Trump Jr., the president’s senior advisor, son-in-law Jared Kushner and former campaign manager Paul Manafort. Trump Jr. said he attended the meeting because he had been promised information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The recently impanelled grand jury has issued subpoenas in connection with the meeting, Reuters reported on Thursday, signalling that Mueller is investigating the meeting.

President Trump has not publicly commented on the news of the grand jury. Ty Cobb, the president’s lawyer, told the Journal that “the White House favors anything that accelerates the conclusion of his work fairly” and that it was “committed to fully cooperating with Mr. Mueller.”

But at a West Virginia rally on Thursday, Trump railed against the Russia probe again. “They’re trying to cheat you out of the leadership that you want with a fake story,” Trump said, according to the Guardian.

Trump has continually bemoaned the fact that allegations of collusion with Russia have overshadowed the successes of his presidency. But given the news of the grand jury being impaneled, the probe looks likely to remain a thorn in the president’s side for some time to come.</s>U.S. President Donald Trump tried to play down the significance of an investigation into links between the Russians and his election campaign at a rally in West Virginia on Thursday.

It was a message he pitched on the same day it emerged that special counsel Robert Mueller had convened a grand jury to look into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

WATCH: Coverage of Donald Trump and Russia on Globalnews.ca:

At the rally, Trump said called the Russian issue a “totally made up story,” and said Democrats were only talking about it because “they have no message, no agenda and no vision.”

“The Russia story is a total fabrication,” he said. “It’s just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of American politics. That’s all it is.”

Trump then said that prosecutors should be looking at “Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 deleted emails.”

“Most people know there were no Russians in our campaign,” he said.

Unnamed sources told Reuters on Thursday that a grand jury had issued subpoenas in connection with a June 2016 meeting that took place between Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

The subpoenas signalled that an investigation was “gathering pace,” the news agency wrote.

Former prosecutor Paul Callan told Reuters that this was a “serious development in the Mueller investigation.”

READ MORE: Robert Mueller convenes grand jury to investigate Russian meddling in 2016 election

Trump has defended his son’s meeting with a Russian lawyer, saying others would have taken it themselves.

With a grand jury, Mueller may be able to gather evidence by issuing subpoenas and compel witnesses to testify.</s>A grand jury impaneled by special counsel Robert Mueller in connection with the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election has issued subpoenas concerning Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with Kremlin-aligned lawyers during the campaign.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday the panel began its work in recent weeks. Grand juries are seated to assess the validity of an accusation brought by prosecutors in advance of an indictment. Though the primary task of a grand jury is to issue an indictment, they also allow prosecutors to subpoena documents and question witnesses under oath.

Reuters subsequently reported that the grand jury has issued subpoenas concerning Trump Jr.’s June 2016 meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer with Kremlin connections hawking opposition research about former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

It is not clear whether the subpoenas compel the appearance of witnesses, the production of documents, or both.

Trump’s Jr.’s legal counsel did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s inquiries by press time.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact .</s>A grand jury has issued subpoenas in connection with a June 2016 meeting that included President Donald Trump's son, his son-in-law and a Russian lawyer, two sources told Reuters on Thursday, signaling an investigation is gathering pace into suspected Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

The sources added that U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller had convened the grand jury investigation in Washington to help examine allegations of Russian interference in the vote. One of the sources said it was assembled in recent weeks.

Russia has loomed large over the first six months of the Trump presidency. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia worked to tilt the presidential election in Trump's favor. Mueller, who was appointed special counsel in May, is leading the probe, which also examines potential collusion by the Trump campaign with Russia.

Moscow denies any meddling and Trump denies any collusion by his campaign, while regularly denouncing the investigations as political witch hunts.

At a rally in Huntington, West Virginia, on Thursday night, Trump said: "Most people know there were no Russians in our campaign. ... We didn't win because of Russia. We won because of you."

Mueller's use of a grand jury could give him expansive tools to pursue evidence, including issuing subpoenas and compelling witnesses to testify. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported a grand jury was impaneled.

A grand jury is a group of ordinary citizens who, working behind closed doors, considers evidence of potential criminal wrongdoing that a prosecutor is investigating and decides whether charges should be brought.

"This is a serious development in the Mueller investigation," said Paul Callan, a former prosecutor.

"Given that Mueller inherited an investigation that began months ago, it would suggest that he has uncovered information pointing in the direction of criminal charges. But against whom is the real question."

A lawyer for Trump, Jay Sekulow, appeared to downplay the significance of a grand jury, telling Fox News: "This is not an unusual move."

U.S. stocks and the dollar weakened following the news, while U.S. Treasury securities gained.

It was not immediately clear to whom subpoenas were issued and the sources did not elaborate.

Some lawyers said it would put pressure on potential witnesses to cooperate with Mueller's investigation.

"When someone gets a subpoena to testify, that can drive home the seriousness of the investigation," said David Sklansky, a professor at Stanford Law School and a former federal prosecutor.

In 2005, a grand jury convened by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald returned an indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a top aide to then-Vice President Dick Cheney.

"A special counsel can bring an indictment and it has happened before," said Renato Mariotti, a partner at the law firm Thompson Coburn and a former federal prosecutor.

News last month of the meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer who he was told had damaging information about his father's presidential rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, fueled questions about the campaign's dealings with Moscow.

The Republican president has defended his son's behavior, saying many people would have taken that meeting.

Trump's son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort also attended the meeting.

One of the sources said major Russian efforts to interfere in the election on Trump’s behalf began shortly after the June meeting, making it a focus of Mueller’s investigation.

Ty Cobb, special counsel to the president, said he was not aware that Mueller had started using a new grand jury.

"Grand jury matters are typically secret," Cobb said. "The White House favors anything that accelerates the conclusion of his work fairly. ... The White House is committed to fully cooperating with Mr. Mueller."

John Dowd, one of Trump's personal lawyers, said: "With respect to the news of the grand jury, I can tell you President Trump is not under investigation."

Lawyers for Trump Jr. and Kushner did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump has questioned Mueller's impartiality and members of Congress from both parties have expressed concern that Trump might dismiss him. Republican and Democratic senators introduced two pieces of legislation on Thursday seeking to block Trump from firing Mueller.

"The president is not thinking of firing Bob Mueller," Sekulow said.

One source briefed on the matter said Mueller was investigating whether, either at the meeting or afterward, anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign encouraged the Russians to start releasing material they had been collecting on the Clinton campaign since March 2016.

Another source familiar with the inquiry said that while the president himself was not now under investigation, Mueller's investigation was seeking to determine whether he knew of the June 9 meeting in advance or was briefed on it afterward.

Reuters earlier reported that Mueller's team was examining money-laundering accusations against Manafort and hoped to push him to cooperate with their probe into possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia. It is not known if the grand jury is investigating those potential charges.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

3 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

A grand jury has issued subpoenas in connection with a June 2016 meeting that included President Donald Trump's son, his son-in-law and a Russian lawyer, two sources told Reuters on Thursday, signalling an investigation is gathering pace into suspected Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

WASHINGTON: A grand jury has issued subpoenas in connection with a June 2016 meeting that included President Donald Trump's son, his son-in-law and a Russian lawyer, two sources told Reuters on Thursday, signalling an investigation is gathering pace into suspected Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

The sources added that U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller had convened the grand jury investigation in Washington to help examine allegations of Russian interference in the vote. One of the sources said it was assembled in recent weeks.

Russia has loomed large over the first six months of the Trump presidency. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia worked to tilt the presidential election in Trump's favour. Mueller, who was appointed special counsel in May, is leading the probe, which also examines potential collusion by the Trump campaign with Russia.

Moscow denies any meddling and Trump denies any collusion by his campaign, while regularly denouncing the investigations as political witch hunts.

At a rally in Huntington, West Virginia, on Thursday night, Trump said: "Most people know there were no Russians in our campaign. ... We didn't win because of Russia. We won because of you."

Mueller's use of a grand jury could give him expansive tools to pursue evidence, including issuing subpoenas and compelling witnesses to testify. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported a grand jury was impaneled.

A grand jury is a group of ordinary citizens who, working behind closed doors, considers evidence of potential criminal wrongdoing that a prosecutor is investigating and decides whether charges should be brought.

"This is a serious development in the Mueller investigation," said Paul Callan, a former prosecutor.

"Given that Mueller inherited an investigation that began months ago, it would suggest that he has uncovered information pointing in the direction of criminal charges. But against whom is the real question."

A lawyer for Trump, Jay Sekulow, appeared to downplay the significance of a grand jury, telling Fox News: "This is not an unusual move."

U.S. stocks and the dollar weakened following the news, while U.S. Treasury securities gained.

It was not immediately clear to whom subpoenas were issued and the sources did not elaborate.

Some lawyers said it would put pressure on potential witnesses to cooperate with Mueller's investigation.

"When someone gets a subpoena to testify, that can drive home the seriousness of the investigation," said David Sklansky, a professor at Stanford Law School and a former federal prosecutor.

In 2005, a grand jury convened by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald returned an indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a top aide to then-Vice President Dick Cheney.

"A special counsel can bring an indictment and it has happened before," said Renato Mariotti, a partner at the law firm Thompson Coburn and a former federal prosecutor.

News last month of the meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer who he was told had damaging information about his father's presidential rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, fuelled questions about the campaign's dealings with Moscow.

The Republican president has defended his son's behaviour, saying many people would have taken that meeting.

Trump's son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort also attended the meeting.

One of the sources said major Russian efforts to interfere in the election on Trump’s behalf began shortly after the June meeting, making it a focus of Mueller’s investigation.

Ty Cobb, special counsel to the president, said he was not aware that Mueller had started using a new grand jury.

"Grand jury matters are typically secret," Cobb said. "The White House favours anything that accelerates the conclusion of his work fairly. ... The White House is committed to fully cooperating with Mr. Mueller."

John Dowd, one of Trump's personal lawyers, said: "With respect to the news of the grand jury, I can tell you President Trump is not under investigation."

Lawyers for Trump Jr. and Kushner did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump has questioned Mueller's impartiality and members of Congress from both parties have expressed concern that Trump might dismiss him. Republican and Democratic senators introduced two pieces of legislation on Thursday seeking to block Trump from firing Mueller.

"The president is not thinking of firing Bob Mueller," Sekulow said.

One source briefed on the matter said Mueller was investigating whether, either at the meeting or afterward, anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign encouraged the Russians to start releasing material they had been collecting on the Clinton campaign since March 2016.

Another source familiar with the inquiry said that while the president himself was not now under investigation, Mueller's investigation was seeking to determine whether he knew of the June 9 meeting in advance or was briefed on it afterward.

Reuters earlier reported that Mueller's team was examining money-laundering accusations against Manafort and hoped to push him to cooperate with their probe into possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia. It is not known if the grand jury is investigating those potential charges.</s>White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Friday sought to downplay the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaign’s relationship with Russia in the wake of reports that special counsel Robert Mueller is using a grand jury and issued subpoenas in the case.

“Let me remind everyone what the president has said about this,” Conway said on the Fox News morning program “Fox and Friends.” “It's a witch-hunt. It's fake. Last night I believe [President Donald Trump] called it a fabrication. And we know that the nature of these types of investigations become fishing expeditions, where you’re just throwing jello up against the wall and hoping it will stick.”

“The fact is that this White House and everybody involved has said that they would comply and share whatever information that they do have,” she said, adding later, “On this matter of the investigation, Ty Cobb, a special counsel to the president, has said that anything that accelerates the process, we are for. And we will continue to cooperate.”

Mueller was appointed by the Justice Department to handle the ongoing probe into Russia’s suspected attempts to meddle in the 2016 election through efforts such as cyberattacks targeting Democratic Party officials. The investigation includes whether any Trump campaign associates were involved in that effort at the time.

The White House has repeatedly denied any inappropriate collusion with Russia. But it has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks because of revelations that President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and campaign aides Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort willingly met with a Russian lawyer peddling damaging information about Hillary Clinton, purportedly provided by the Kremlin, during the campaign.

Mueller has reportedly begun using a grand jury in Washington, D.C., to help with the case and has also reportedly issued subpoenas about that June 2016 Trump Tower meeting. Experts have said that a grand jury does not necessarily mean Mueller is looking to bring charges against anyone, but may be a sign that the investigation is speeding up, rather than slowing down.

On Friday, Conway dismissed the meeting with the Russian lawyer as inconsequential, and tried to turn the conversation to leaks coming from the administration. The grand jury news, she noted, is itself a leak.

She also criticized the leak of transcripts of Trump’s calls with the leaders of Mexico and Australia, which the Washington Post published on Thursday to the embarrassment of the White House.

“What really should concern everyone are these leaks that imperil national security,” she said. “Leaking the phone calls between our president and other heads of state is nothing short of a national disgrace.”

“You know who agrees with that?” she added. “Democratic senator from Virginia Mark Warner. He said so yesterday. He said governors, senators and indeed presidents of the United States need to have confidence they can engage in conversation with other heads of state, they can negotiate, they can discuss issues without the threat of it being leaked.”</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

3 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

A grand jury has issued subpoenas in connection with a June 2016 meeting that included President Donald Trump's son, his son-in-law and a Russian lawyer, two sources told Reuters on Thursday, signalling an investigation is gathering pace into suspected Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

WASHINGTON: A grand jury has issued subpoenas in connection with a June 2016 meeting that included President Donald Trump's son, his son-in-law and a Russian lawyer, two sources told Reuters on Thursday, signalling an investigation is gathering pace into suspected Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

The sources added that U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller had convened the grand jury investigation in Washington to help examine allegations of Russian interference in the vote. One of the sources said it was assembled in recent weeks.

Russia has loomed large over the first six months of the Trump presidency. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia worked to tilt the presidential election in Trump's favour. Mueller, who was appointed special counsel in May, is leading the probe, which also examines potential collusion by the Trump campaign with Russia.

Moscow denies any meddling and Trump denies any collusion by his campaign, while regularly denouncing the investigations as political witch hunts.

At a rally in Huntington, West Virginia, on Thursday night, Trump said: "Most people know there were no Russians in our campaign. ... We didn't win because of Russia. We won because of you."

Mueller's use of a grand jury could give him expansive tools to pursue evidence, including issuing subpoenas and compelling witnesses to testify. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported a grand jury was impaneled.

A grand jury is a group of ordinary citizens who, working behind closed doors, considers evidence of potential criminal wrongdoing that a prosecutor is investigating and decides whether charges should be brought.

"This is a serious development in the Mueller investigation," said Paul Callan, a former prosecutor.

"Given that Mueller inherited an investigation that began months ago, it would suggest that he has uncovered information pointing in the direction of criminal charges. But against whom is the real question."

A lawyer for Trump, Jay Sekulow, appeared to downplay the significance of a grand jury, telling Fox News: "This is not an unusual move."

U.S. stocks and the dollar weakened following the news, while U.S. Treasury securities gained.

It was not immediately clear to whom subpoenas were issued and the sources did not elaborate.

Some lawyers said it would put pressure on potential witnesses to cooperate with Mueller's investigation.

"When someone gets a subpoena to testify, that can drive home the seriousness of the investigation," said David Sklansky, a professor at Stanford Law School and a former federal prosecutor.

News last month of the meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer who he was told had damaging information about his father's presidential rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, fuelled questions about the campaign's dealings with Moscow.

The Republican president has defended his son's behaviour, saying many people would have taken that meeting.

Trump's son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort also attended the meeting.

One of the sources said major Russian efforts to interfere in the election on Trump’s behalf began shortly after the June meeting, making it a focus of Mueller’s investigation.

Ty Cobb, special counsel to the president, said he was not aware that Mueller had started using a new grand jury.

"Grand jury matters are typically secret," Cobb said. "The White House favours anything that accelerates the conclusion of his work fairly. ... The White House is committed to fully cooperating with Mr. Mueller."

John Dowd, one of Trump's personal lawyers, said: "With respect to the news of the grand jury, I can tell you President Trump is not under investigation."

Lawyers for Trump Jr. and Kushner did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump has questioned Mueller's impartiality and members of Congress from both parties have expressed concern that Trump might dismiss him. Republican and Democratic senators introduced two pieces of legislation on Thursday seeking to block Trump from firing Mueller.

"The president is not thinking of firing Bob Mueller," Sekulow said.

One source briefed on the matter said Mueller was investigating whether, either at the meeting or afterward, anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign encouraged the Russians to start releasing material they had been collecting on the Clinton campaign since March 2016.

Another source familiar with the inquiry said that while the president himself was not now under investigation, Mueller's investigation was seeking to determine whether he knew of the June 9 meeting in advance or was briefed on it afterward.

Reuters earlier reported that Mueller's team was examining money-laundering accusations against Manafort and hoped to push him to cooperate with their probe into possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia. It is not known if the grand jury is investigating those potential charges.</s>Grand jury subpoenas have been issued in connection with the June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr., a Russian lawyer and others, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

WASHINGTON — Grand jury subpoenas have been issued in connection with the June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr., a Russian lawyer and others, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

Special counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in Washington to investigate allegations of Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, citing two unnamed people familiar with the matter.

The grand jury began its work in recent weeks and is a sign that Mueller’s inquiry into Russia’s efforts to influence the election and whether it colluded with President Donald Trump’s campaign is ramping up, the Journal said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.</s>WASHINGTON (WOWO): Subpoenas for a grand jury have been issued over a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer, as Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating allegations of Russian interference in last year’s Presidential elections.

Reuters reports that a grand jury has also been convened on the allegations of Russian meddling.

Russia has denied such allegations from the beginning. President Trump has also denied such allegations, usually referring to them as a “witch hunt.”

Trump Jr. recently released an email chain between him and someone promising to have information from the Russian government on Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton. He claims he made a meeting, but nothing happened during it.</s>A grand jury impaneled by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate possible Russian interference in the 2016 election has issued subpoenas related to a meeting between then-candidate Donald Trump’s son, son-in-law, and a Russian lawyer, a

ccording to CNN . Trump has repeatedly defended himself, calling the investigation a “witch hunt,” as U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Russia did work with his campaign to secure the election.

Democratic and Republican senators met yesterday to introduce legislation that would prevent Trump from firing special counsel involved in the investigation, according to Reuters.

Mueller’s team will investigate records and testimonies related to the 2016 meeting. Federal investigators have already begun to probe Trump’s alleged financial ties to Russia. People familiar with the investigation told CNN that these ties offer a “more concrete path” to an eventual prosecution, while former federal prosecutor Thomas Zeno shared with the Wall Street Journal that although a grand jury doesn’t guarantee anything, it is a sign that the investigation will not easily be shut down by President Trump. “[Mueller] wouldn’t do this if it were winding down.”
Grand jury subpoenas have been issued in connection with a June 2016 meeting that included Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and a Russian lawyer.