CNN
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Former President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he was informed by special counsel Jack Smith that he is a target of a criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, a sign that he could be indicted. of the special counsel.
“The deranged Jack Smith, Joe Biden’s DOJ prosecutor, sent a letter (again, Sunday night!) stating that I was a TARGET in the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and gave me a brief 4 days to report to The Grand Jury, which almost 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 am absolutely convinced was rigged and stolen, as the Democrats did against me in 2016, and have done many more over the ages, ” wrote Trump.
Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN that Trump received the letter.
Trump also received a targeted letter earlier this year from Smith before he was indicted in an investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.
A spokesman for the special counsel declined to comment.
A targeted letter from federal prosecutors to Trump made it clear that prosecutors are focused on Trump’s actions in the 2020 election-rigging investigation — and not just those around him who tried to stop him from disappearing. in the election.
Justice Department regulations allow prosecutors to notify subjects of an investigation that they have been targeted. Often a notification that someone is a target is a strong indication that an indictment may follow, but it is possible that the recipient will not ultimately be charged.
Notifications are not required, but prosecutors have the right to notify subjects that they have been targeted. Once identified, a target has the opportunity to present evidence or testify to a grand jury if they wish.
Smith investigated efforts to overturn the 2020 election through the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, including the placement of fake voters in states Trump lost and a campaign of coercion. against his former Vice President Mike Pence to try to reverse it. the election when Congress certified Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College on January 6.
The grand jury investigating the 2020 election interference is meeting today at the federal courthouse in Washington, DC.
Many witnesses spoke to prosecutors and testified before a grand jury in the 2020 election investigation, including a long list of top White House aides to Donald Trump as well as former Vice President Mike Pence.
In recent months, prosecutors also interviewed election officials in seven battleground states where Trump’s team falsely claimed fraud and cast fake voters after the 2020 election.
In addition, prosecutors focused on a tumultuous December 2020 Oval Office meeting in the final days of the Trump administration, where Trump advisers discussed the seizure of voting machines, naming a special counsel to investigate voter fraud and the use of martial law as part of efforts to overturn the election.
Several of Trump’s lawyers have also spoken to federal investigators. Last month, Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani met with investigators for a voluntary interview over two days covering a variety of topics, including chaotic December 2020 meeting he attended, CNN used to reported.
Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello, told CNN that Giuliani did not receive a targeted letter.
