Donald Trump has been told he may testify before a grand jury in Manhattan as part of an investigation into money paid to silence an adult film star who said she had slept with the former president, according to two of his lawyers.
Trump was not subpoenaed and is not being required to appear in the Manhattan district attorney’s office investigation, defense attorneys told NBC News on Thursday. Trump’s lawyers did not indicate whether he would testify.
The New York Times reported Thursday that Trump was told he could appear before the grand jury next week, citing sources who said the prosecutor’s office had told Trump’s lawyers that he could face criminal charges.
A spokesman for the prosecutor’s office declined to comment to NBC News.
In a statement on Thursday, a Trump spokesperson criticized the office, calling any potential allegations a political attack.
“The Manhattan District Attorney’s threat to impeach President Trump is simply insane. For the last five years, the district attorney’s office has been on a witch hunt, investigating every aspect of President Trump’s life, and they have come up empty every time, and now this,» said the spokesman.»The fact that after his intensive investigation that the district attorney is even considering a new political attack is a clear exoneration of President Trump in all areas.»
Chuck Rosenberg, a legal analyst for NBC News, said in an interview that the invitation to appear indicates that the investigation is nearing completion and that prosecutors are «seriously considering the charges.»
“If the Manhattan district attorney was simply closing the case, that’s easy to do without inviting Mr. Trump to testify,” said Rosenberg, a former federal prosecutor.
NBC News reported in January that New York prosecutors had convened a grand jury in their investigation into money paid to silence adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Michael Cohen, a former Trump attorney, pleaded guilty in federal court in 2018 to making the illegal payment to Daniels for the «primary purpose of influencing» the 2016 presidential election, saying he did so on Trump’s orders.
The year-long investigation into Trump over the payment has spanned the terms of two district attorneys, with Alvin Bragg taking charge of the office and investigation in 2021.
In December, a jury in an investigation separate from Bragg’s office found the Trump Organization guilty on all counts in a 15-year tax fraud scheme that prosecutors say was orchestrated by the company’s top executives.
Allen Weisselberg, a star witness in the prosecution’s case and a former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, was sentenced in January to five months in prison for his role in the scheme. Trump was not charged in the case.
Last year, Trump was called to testify in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil investigation into the Trump Organization’s business practices. During the four-hour statement, Trump repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. A source with knowledge of that statement said Trump took Fifth more than 440 times.
Vaughn Hillyard contributed.