Trump says lawyers have met 2020 probe officials
Donald Trump's attorneys on Thursday met Justice Department officials investigating the Republican former president's attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, said Trump, the target of a Special Counsel investigation. Trump said on his Truth Social platform that the Department of Justice had not told his attorneys when action was likely. "My attorneys had a productive meeting with the DOJ this morning, explaining in detail that I did nothing wrong, was advised by many lawyers, and that an Indictment of me would only further destroy our Country," Trump said. "No indication of notice was given during the meeting." Special Counsel Jack Smith is investigating actions by Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, to try to reverse his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Officials have testified that during his final months in office, Trump pressured them with false claims of widespread voter fraud. His supporters attacked the US Capitol in a January 6, 2021, bid to stop Congress from certifying Biden's win. Trump said on July 18 he had received a letter from Smith stating that he was a target of the probe. Several US news outlets reported Trump's lawyers had arrived at a Justice Department building and were meeting officials in Smith's office. It is not uncommon for defence attorneys to meet federal prosecutors before an indictment. Trump is already the first former US president to face criminal charges, which he has sought to portray as a politically motivated witch hunt. Any indictment in the election case would represent a second round of federal charges from Smith, who was appointed in November by US Attorney General Merrick Garland. Trump's attorneys previously met officials at the Justice Department, including Smith, before a grand jury in Miami indicted Trump in June. (Reuters)