The grand jury testimony of Daniel J. Halloran III, the city councilman at the center of charges that a union slowdown left some neighborhoods snowbound after the Dec. 26 blizzard, was cut short on Monday as he and federal prosecutors argued a related matter before a judge.

The proceeding before the judge was held behind closed doors, and neither Mr. Halloran, who is a lawyer, nor a spokesman for federal prosecutors would divulge what the issue was that interrupted Mr. Halloran’s testimony.

But the chain of events seemed to match what people briefed on the federal inquiry and three other investigations into the matter said they expected would occur if Mr. Halloran declined to give the grand jury the names of three Sanitation Department workers who he has said told him of a slowdown.

Mr. Halloran, a Republican who represents parts of northeast Queens, set off a controversy in the last days of 2010 when he said sanitation supervisors, unhappy with cuts to their ranks, had orchestrated a slowdown to embarrass Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

The councilman has since revised his account – after saying that supervisors had ordered plow drivers off their routes, he now says the workers were given a subtle message that they should not work too hard and not fear being closely monitored.

Mr. Halloran has said he based his assertions on what he heard from two supervisors in the Transportation Department and three workers in the Sanitation Department, who all went to him after the blizzard.

The two transportation supervisors did not back up Mr. Halloran’s account in interviews with investigators, according to people briefed on the investigations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigations were continuing.

Mr. Halloran has since cited attorney-client privilege in refusing to provide the names of the Sanitation Department workers to investigators from two district attorneys’ offices, the city Department of Investigation and the United States attorney’s office in Brooklyn, according to the people briefed on the matter.

They said they had expected the federal prosecutor questioning Mr. Halloran before the grand jury to ask for the names of the sanitation workers. They said that if Mr. Halloran asserted attorney-client privilege, the prosecutor could seek a ruling from a district court judge who adjudicates grand jury matters.

On Monday, that judge was Allyne R. Ross. After less than 45 minutes in the grand jury room, Mr. Halloran walked to Judge Ross’s courtroom. As he entered, Mr. Halloran announced, “Very strange being in a courtroom under these circumstances.”

Judge Ross then ordered the courtroom cleared of observers because the issue involved a grand jury matter. Mr. Halloran left the courthouse around 30 minutes later but declined to discuss his testimony or to say whether he was asked for the names of the sanitation workers.

“I don’t expect to testify further,” he said, “but I’m sure we will be in constant communication with the U.S. attorney.”

(Source: NY Times)