The grand jury hearing evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s probe into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his election loss has handed down four indictments against the ex-president, a federal prosecutor told a judge Tuesday.
In a social media post just moments before the indictment was announced. Mr. Trump, who was named as a target of the grand jury probe, took to social media and blasted the special counsel. He also suggested the timing of the indictment amounts to a political hit job.
“Why didn’t they do this 2.5 years ago? Why did they wait so long? Because they wanted to put it right in the middle of my campaign. Prosecutorial Misconduct!,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Also, why are they putting out another Fake Indictment the day after the Crooked Joe Biden SCANDAL, one of the biggest in American history, broke out in the Halls of Congress??? A Nation In Decline!,” Mr. Trump said in a reference to the House probe into allegations of influence-peddling and bribery against President Biden.
Charges against Mr. Trump had been expected since he publicly revealed that he received a target letter from the Justice Department. The letters are typically sent when prosecutors are convinced they have enough evidence to pursue criminal charges against an individual. Mr. Trump received the so-called target letter on July 16, just over two weeks ago.
Adding to the expectation of charges, Mr. Trump’s defense lawyers last week met with Mr. Smith and his team as the grand jury was deliberating.
Mr. Smith was appointed in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the investigations into efforts by Mr. Trump and his allies to reverse the results of the 2020 election as well as the former president’s handling of classified documents after leaving the presidency.
The investigation zeroed in on the weeks after the November 2020 election in which Mr. Trump refused to acknowledge his loss to President Biden and falsely claimed the election was stolen from him.
The chaos culminated in a riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, when a pro-Trump mob stormed the building and attacked police officers in an effort to stop lawmakers from certifying Mr. Biden’s election win.
The indictment could be the third for the former president, who was indicted last month on 37 federal criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials. In April, the Manhattan district attorney charged him with falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments made to two women who alleged extramarital affairs with Mr. Trump. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
No former or current president had ever been indicted before Mr. Trump was charged in the hush money case.
He still could face charges in Georgia where Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis has signaled she could charge Mr. Trump and his allies with interfering in the state’s 2020 election.
Behind the scenes, Republicans say an indictment, most likely, will make Mr. Trump stronger.
The Department of Justice is so tarnished in the eyes of most Republicans that primary voters will find it hard to believe whatever charges come forth – even if they are true.
The trust in the system is so low, they say, that Mr. Trump’s poll numbers likely will go up.
Other Republicans said a lot of primary voters are still in the early stages of making up their minds, and, in states like Iowa, some might not make their final decision until they walk into their local caucus or primary place.
What is clear is that Mr. Trump’s legal woes are forcing him and his allies to burn through money that could be spent on his re-election campaign – not lawyers.
It was reported this week that Save America, a pro-Trump political action committee, has picked up the bill for more than $40 million in legal fees incurred by Mr. Trump and witnesses in the cases related to him.
The same group paid an additional $16 million in legal fees in the previous two years.
Even as his legal woes mount, Mr. Trump, nonetheless, has maintained, and in many cases, expand his lead in 2024 presidential polls, and is locked in a tight hypothetical general election rematch with President Biden.
By a 74% to 13% margin, a New York Times/ Sienna poll released this week found that most Republican believe Mr. Trump has not committed any serious federal crimes.
•This story was based in part on wire reports.
