'The letter seeks non-public information about a pending criminal investigation, which is confidential under state law,' Dubeck wrote, adding that 'it is clear that Congress cannot have any legitimate legislative task relating to the oversight of local prosecutors enforcing state law.' In response to a letter the GOP chairmen sent to Bragg earlier this week seeking information about the Trump case and federal funding the DA's office receives, she said their 'requests are an unlawful incursion into New York’s sovereignty.' Dubeck, writing on behalf of Bragg, said in the letter that the Republican chairmen are embarking on an unprecedented inquiry 'into pending local prosecution.' The Manhattan District Attorney's Office sent a lengthy letter today to three House GOP committee chairmen arguing that they are overstepping their bounds in their quest to obtain information related to the hush money case involving Trump. It remains unclear what additional matter(s) they are hearing at this time. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they will hear evidence in the Trump probe on each of those days - hence what happened today, when the jury convened but didn't consider the Trump hush money case. The special grand jury hearing testimony in the Trump investigation in Manhattan has been meeting Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. In both scenarios, the jury is made up of 23 residents of Manhattan chosen at random.

Regular grand juries hear multiple cases at one time, but they are empaneled for only 30 days at a time. Special grand juries last longer. The prosecutors within the district attorney’s office coordinate schedules accordingly depending on their needs. In New York, however, especially given the large volume of cases, there are times when prosecutors use a special grand jury to hear multiple cases (even unrelated ones) at the same time. They are often used in complex cases, and their term can run up to six months.

In some cases, prosecutors use special investigative grand juries dedicated to one case. Much about grand jury procedures - including the nature of the type of grand jury being used - is kept secret during the process.

Photo search