Mueller convenes Washington grand jury in Russia probe
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Special counsel Robert Mueller has convened a grand jury in Washington to investigate allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US election, the Wall Street Journal reported 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.
Russia has loomed large over the first six months of the Trump presidency, with US congressional panels also investigating the Russian election interference that US intelligence agencies believe was meant to tilt the vote in Trump's favor.
Moscow denies any meddling and Trump denies any collusion by his campaign, while regularly denouncing the investigations as political witch hunts.
Mueller's use of a grand jury could give him expansive tools to pursue evidence, including issuing subpoenas and compelling witnesses to testify.
