Former President Donald Trump posted on social media on Tuesday that he received a letter stating that he is the target of a criminal investigation by a grand jury investigating tries to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 elections.
Multiple sources have confirmed to CBS News that the former president’s post is accurate — he received a target letter in the special counsel’s investigation into events surrounding the 2020 presidential election.
The former president said on Truth Social, his social media platform, that the target letter came from Special Counsel Jack Smith on Sunday evening, and Trump was given four days to report to the grand jury.
He reiterated his claim that the special advocate is engaged in a “witch hunt” and criticized the investigation as a “complete and utter political militarization of law enforcement.”
What is the special advocate investigating?
The Office of the Special Counsel investigated a meeting in the Oval Office on December 18, 2020, where Trump talked about bringing in attorney Sidney Powell as special counsel to the White House and seizing the voting machines. by decree.
Earlier this month, CBS News’ Robert Costa reported that special counsel investigators were looking into whether Trump believed the fraudulent voter fraud allegations raised at that meeting, weeks before Jan. 6, even though attorneys for the White House told him in person that night — and after — the claims were not true.
Several members of Trump’s inner circle have testified as part of the special counsel’s investigation, including former Vice President Mike Pence, White House attorney Pat Cipollone, national security adviser Robert O ‘Brien, top aide Stephen Miller and close ally Steve Bannon.
Georgian Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who Trump asked in a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call to “find” 11,780 votes — just enough to give Georgia’s electoral votes to the former president — also testified at the inquest.
In addition to attempts to “find” votes in Georgia, a group of fake voters from battleground states won by President Biden met in December 2020 and signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the election. presidential election in their states and that they themselves were the “duly elected and qualified” voters of the state.
Ahead of the January 6, 2021 joint session of Congress, Trump also publicly pressured Pence to “do the right thing” and refuse to accept the election results. At a rally near the White House ahead of the joint session, Trump encouraged his supporters to “come down” to the Capitol in support as Congress proceeds with the largely ceremonial affirmation of Electoral College votes.
Thousands of Trump supporters then stormed the Capitol and lawmakers were sent on the run amid the violence, delaying the certification of election results for hours. Pence finally announced Mr Biden as the winner of the election after 1 a.m. on January 7.
Other Trump Investigations
Smith was appointed last November by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate not only the events surrounding the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol but also the way Trump manages national defense documents since leaving office. In June, Trump and his longtime aide Walt Nauta have been charged with several federal felony counts related to the documents. Trump pleaded not guilty on June 13 to the 37 counts against him.
A special purpose grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, earlier this year, concluded its investigation into alleged attempts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she will announce rulings on possible charges related to this investigation this summer.
Trump also has billed separately in New York for allegedly falsifying business records as part of a “silent” payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He pleaded not guilty in April to those charges against the state.
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