As a potential third indictment looms for former US President Donald Trump, special counsel Jack Smith continues to schedule interviews with witnesses in the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
In a post on his Truth Social platform earlier this week, Trump said Smith informed him on Sunday that he is a target of the January 6 probe and gave him “a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment.”
The grand jury has yet to issue any charges against the former president, who is currently running for the Republican nomination in 2024. But Smith’s letter to Trump reportedly referenced three federal statutes that may be a basis for prosecuting the former president: conspiracy to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights under colour of law, and tampering with victims, witnesses or informants.
Meanwhile, investigators are planning more interviews with witnesses.
Prosecutors are looking to speak with Bernie Kerik, a former New York City police commissioner who was close to Trump’s former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, while another unnamed former Trump lawyer is planning to talk to investigators next month, according to CNN.
Kerik previously testified before the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection after being served with a subpoena.
Tim Parlatore, a former Trump attorney who now represents Kerik, told CBS News the interview with Smith’s team could happen “soon.”
It remains unknown if a potential Trump indictment would come after those interviews were done, or if Smith would first bring an initial case and then issue superseding indictments, the network noted.
On Thursday, the grand jury heard again from Will Russell, who served as a special assistant in Trump’s White House and continues to work as an aide for him. The Washington Post also reported the grand jury was scheduled to hear testimony on Thursday from a data expert who worked on the former president’s 2020 campaign.
Meanwhile, Republicans on Capitol Hill have shrugged at the possibility of Trump facing yet another set of criminal charges. Trump was already indicted on state charges in New York over a hush money scheme, and on federal charges for allegedly mishandling classified government documents in another case overseen by Smith.
“There’s nothing new under the sun,” Senator Kevin Cramer (Republican, North Dakota) said. “It’s just kind of, it’s become almost literally unbelievable. We’ve got pretty used to it all... so it’s become less interesting, weird as it seems.”