Trump 'is target of Capitol riot probe'
Former US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had received a letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith stating that he is a target of a grand jury investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result. A letter would represent the clearest sign to date that Trump, front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, may face federal criminal charges around his efforts to remain in power after losing the election to Joe Biden. Officials have testified that during his final months in office, Trump pressured them with unsubstantiated 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. Smith "sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation," Trump wrote on his Truth Social media site. His attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment. NBC News, citing law enforcement sources, confirmed that Smith had sent the letter. A spokesperson for Smith's office declined to comment. Trump's legal woes have so far failed to dent his efforts to win the 2024 Republican nomination. His lead in opinion polls has widened in recent months and his Republican rivals have largely supported him in the face of several criminal probes. Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor, said receiving a target letter means the individual should "presume that you're going to get indicted, unless you give us a damn good reason why we shouldn't." Smith has already brought criminal charges against Trump in a separate federal case alleging he unlawfully retained national security documents after leaving office in 2021 and conspired to obstruct efforts to retrieve them. Trump has pleaded not guilty. According to a court filing, Smith sent a target letter to Trump's lawyers in that case on May 19, roughly three weeks before he filed charges. Defence attorneys and federal prosecutors were due to make their first appearance in Florida later on Tuesday before US District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over that case. As part of the 2020 election investigation, a grand jury at the federal courthouse in Washington, DC, has heard testimony from high-profile former Trump administration officials, ex-White House attorney Pat Cipollone and Trump's then-Vice President Mike Pence. Most recently, Trump's former attorney Rudy Giuliani was interviewed by investigators from Smith's office. In his Truth Social post, Trump said Smith's office had given him "a very short 4 days" to appear before the grand jury in the probe. In federal investigations, targets who are not called to testify before a grand jury or who do not make such a request are sometimes provided an opportunity to do so before prosecutors seek an indictment. (Reuters)