Donald Trump has been told he can testify before a grand jury in New York City as part of an investigation into hush money paid to an adult film star who said she had slept with the former president, according to two of his attorneys.
Trump was not subpoenaed and is not being forced to appear in the Manhattan district attorney’s office’s probe, the defense attorneys said Thursday. They 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 and cited sources saying the DA’s office had signaled to Trump’s lawyers that he could face criminal charges.
A spokesperson for the DA’s office declined to comment.
In a statement Thursday, a spokesperson for Trump blasted the office, casting any potential indictment as a political attack.
“The Manhattan District Attorney’s threat to indict President Trump is simply insane. For the past five years, the DA’s office has been on a Witch Hunt, investigating every aspect of President Trump’s life, and they’ve come up empty at every turn — and now this,” the spokesperson said. “The fact that after their intensive investigation the DA is even considering a new political attack is a clear exoneration of President Trump in all areas.”
Chuck Rosenberg, an NBC News legal analyst, said in an interview that the invitation to appear indicates that the investigation is near its end and that prosecutors are “seriously considering charges.”
“If the Manhattan district attorney was simply shutting the case down, that’s easy to do without inviting Mr. Trump to testify,” said Rosenberg, a former federal prosecutor.