True Anchorer/Getty Images
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, speaks at the Hope for Majority and Path to Freedom conference at the Washington Hilton on June 24, 2023 in Washington, DC.
CNN
—
Former President Donald Trump said in a social media post Special Counsel Jack Smith He is the target of a criminal investigation into efforts to subvert the 2020 election, and he may soon be indicted by a special prosecutor.
“Joe Biden’s DOJ attorney, Jack Smith, sent a letter saying he is the target of a January 6th grand jury investigation (again, that’s a Sunday night!) grand jury, which always means an arrest and indictment,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Under the United States Constitution, I have the right to protest an election that I fully believe was rigged and stolen, as the Democrats did against me in 2016, and as many others have done over the years,” Trump wrote.
Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN that Trump received the letter.
Trump received a targeted letter earlier this year from Smith, who has been indicted in an investigation related to the mishandling of classified documents.
A spokesman for the special counsel declined to comment.
A targeted letter from federal prosecutors to Trump makes clear that prosecutors are focusing on Trump’s actions in the probe to try to sway the 2020 election — not just those around him to prevent his election loss.
Judicial regulations allow prosecutors to notify those under investigation that they have been targeted. Frequently declaring that a person is a target is a strong indication that an indictment may follow, but the recipient may not ultimately be charged.
Those notifications aren’t required, but prosecutors have the right to be told they’ve been targeted. Once notified, a target has the opportunity to present evidence or testify to the grand jury if they choose.
Smith is investigating efforts to subvert the January 6, 2020, 2021 election, including an attack on the U.S. Capitol, fielding fraudulent voters in states Trump lost and trying to subvert a pressure campaign against his then-Vice President, Mike Pence. The January 6th election was when Congress certified Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
A grand jury investigating 2020 election interference convenes today in federal court in Washington.
Dozens of witnesses The 2020 election spoke with prosecutors and testified before a grand jury, including a long list of key White House aides to Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence.
In recent months, lawyers They have also given an interview Election officials in seven battleground states falsely accused Trump’s team of fraud after the 2020 election.
In addition, lawyers focused on a chaotic December 2020 Oval Office meeting in the final days of the Trump administration, in which Trump’s advisers discussed seizing voting machines, naming a special counsel to investigate voter fraud and using martial law as part of the effort. Cancel the election.
Several Trump lawyers also spoke with federal investigators. Last month, Trump’s former lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, met with investigators over two days for a voluntary interview that covered a range of topics. Turbulent December 2020 The meeting he attended was before CNN reported.
Giuliani’s attorney, Robert Costello, tells CNN that Giuliani did not receive the target letter.
