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Washington: Former US President Donald trump On Tuesday, he said he received a letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith saying he was the target of a grand jury investigation in efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
The letter is the clearest sign yet that Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, could face federal criminal charges over his efforts to stay in power after losing the election to Joe Biden.
The officials testified that during his final months in office, Trump pressed them with false claims of widespread voter fraud. His supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, to prevent Congress from certifying a Biden victory.
Smith “Sent a message (again, it was Sunday night!) saying I’m being targeted for a grand jury investigation on Jan. 6,” Trump wrote on his Truth social media post.
His lawyer could not be reached for comment. A spokesman for Smith’s office declined to comment.
It was one of a series of developments in various criminal investigations into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his election defeat.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Tuesday announced criminal charges against 16 Trump supporters who allegedly submitted a false voter list in an effort to overturn his 2020 defeat in that state. A Georgia attorney general is investigating a similar effort in that state.
Trump’s legal troubles have so far failed to dampen his efforts to win the 2024 Republican nomination. His lead in the polls has widened in recent months, with his unsubstantiated claims that partisanship behind the investigations helping to garner support among his base. largely to his criticism of prosecutors.
At a town hall in Iowa with Fox News on Tuesday, Trump took personal shots at Smith while claiming, without evidence, that prosecutors were out to help Biden.
“This guy is a psychopath,” Trump said, referring to Smith. “He’s an abominable, horrible human being.”
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Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor, said that someone who receives targeted letter should “assume you will be charged, unless you give us a good reason why we should not.”
Smith has already filed criminal charges against Trump in a separate federal case alleging he illegally retained national security documents after leaving office in 2021 and conspired to obstruct efforts to recover them. Trump pleaded not guilty.
According to a court filing, Smith sent a targeted letter to Trump’s attorney in this case on May 19, about three weeks before he was charged.
Trump’s lawyers on Tuesday asked US District Judge Eileen Cannon, who is presiding over the case, to consider the timing of his presidential campaign when setting a trial date. Cannon appeared skeptical of the plaintiffs’ request at the beginning of December, but he was also disinclined to agree to Trump’s request for an indefinite delay.
As part of the 2020 election investigation, a grand jury in federal court in Washington, D.C., heard testimony from former senior Trump administration officials, including Mike Pence, who served as Trump’s vice president.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump said Smith’s office had given him “a very short 4 days” to appear before the grand jury in the investigation.
In federal investigations, targets are sometimes given an opportunity to testify before a grand jury if they have not already done so before prosecutors ask for an indictment.
In a January 6, 2021 rampage at the Capitol, Trump supporters attacked the police and forced lawmakers who were in the process of certifying the results of the 2020 election to flee for their lives.
The attack came shortly after Trump told his supporters in an incendiary speech near the White House to march on the Capitol and “fight like hell” to “stop stealing” the election.
More than 1,000 people were charged with offenses related to the riot, including some who were convicted of sedition conspiracy.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump’s closest rival for the Republican nomination, has criticized the investigation as politically motivated and said Trump should not be charged.
“We’ve gone all the way in this country to try to criminalize political differences,” he told CNN on Tuesday.
Trump is the first president to be impeached.
In addition to the charges in the classified documents case, Trump faces New York state criminal charges accusing him of falsifying business records related to paying porn star Stormy Daniels to purchase her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she confirmed but denies.
He has also pleaded not guilty in this case.
On Monday, the Georgia Supreme Court rejected Trump’s attempt to block a government investigation into whether he and his allies illegally attempted to interfere in Georgia’s 2020 election.
Republican strategist Matt Dole said any indictment would likely help Trump raise funds but could deter some moderate Republicans and hinder his chances in the general election.
“I think it gives soft-spoken Trump supporters pause and a reason to look elsewhere for a candidate with Trump’s populism, but less of a circus — someone like Ron DeSantis,” Dole said.
The letter is the clearest sign yet that Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, could face federal criminal charges over his efforts to stay in power after losing the election to Joe Biden.
The officials testified that during his final months in office, Trump pressed them with false claims of widespread voter fraud. His supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, to prevent Congress from certifying a Biden victory.
Smith “Sent a message (again, it was Sunday night!) saying I’m being targeted for a grand jury investigation on Jan. 6,” Trump wrote on his Truth social media post.
His lawyer could not be reached for comment. A spokesman for Smith’s office declined to comment.
It was one of a series of developments in various criminal investigations into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his election defeat.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Tuesday announced criminal charges against 16 Trump supporters who allegedly submitted a false voter list in an effort to overturn his 2020 defeat in that state. A Georgia attorney general is investigating a similar effort in that state.
Trump’s legal troubles have so far failed to dampen his efforts to win the 2024 Republican nomination. His lead in the polls has widened in recent months, with his unsubstantiated claims that partisanship behind the investigations helping to garner support among his base. largely to his criticism of prosecutors.
At a town hall in Iowa with Fox News on Tuesday, Trump took personal shots at Smith while claiming, without evidence, that prosecutors were out to help Biden.
“This guy is a psychopath,” Trump said, referring to Smith. “He’s an abominable, horrible human being.”
You are about to get indicated
Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor, said that someone who receives targeted letter should “assume you will be charged, unless you give us a good reason why we should not.”
Smith has already filed criminal charges against Trump in a separate federal case alleging he illegally retained national security documents after leaving office in 2021 and conspired to obstruct efforts to recover them. Trump pleaded not guilty.
According to a court filing, Smith sent a targeted letter to Trump’s attorney in this case on May 19, about three weeks before he was charged.
Trump’s lawyers on Tuesday asked US District Judge Eileen Cannon, who is presiding over the case, to consider the timing of his presidential campaign when setting a trial date. Cannon appeared skeptical of the plaintiffs’ request at the beginning of December, but he was also disinclined to agree to Trump’s request for an indefinite delay.
As part of the 2020 election investigation, a grand jury in federal court in Washington, D.C., heard testimony from former senior Trump administration officials, including Mike Pence, who served as Trump’s vice president.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump said Smith’s office had given him “a very short 4 days” to appear before the grand jury in the investigation.
In federal investigations, targets are sometimes given an opportunity to testify before a grand jury if they have not already done so before prosecutors ask for an indictment.
In a January 6, 2021 rampage at the Capitol, Trump supporters attacked the police and forced lawmakers who were in the process of certifying the results of the 2020 election to flee for their lives.
The attack came shortly after Trump told his supporters in an incendiary speech near the White House to march on the Capitol and “fight like hell” to “stop stealing” the election.
More than 1,000 people were charged with offenses related to the riot, including some who were convicted of sedition conspiracy.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump’s closest rival for the Republican nomination, has criticized the investigation as politically motivated and said Trump should not be charged.
“We’ve gone all the way in this country to try to criminalize political differences,” he told CNN on Tuesday.
Trump is the first president to be impeached.
In addition to the charges in the classified documents case, Trump faces New York state criminal charges accusing him of falsifying business records related to paying porn star Stormy Daniels to purchase her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she confirmed but denies.
He has also pleaded not guilty in this case.
On Monday, the Georgia Supreme Court rejected Trump’s attempt to block a government investigation into whether he and his allies illegally attempted to interfere in Georgia’s 2020 election.
Republican strategist Matt Dole said any indictment would likely help Trump raise funds but could deter some moderate Republicans and hinder his chances in the general election.
“I think it gives soft-spoken Trump supporters pause and a reason to look elsewhere for a candidate with Trump’s populism, but less of a circus — someone like Ron DeSantis,” Dole said.
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