- Trump says that he has been notified that he is a target in a January 6 investigation.
- Special counsel Jack Smith has been looking into the lead up before the Capitol riot.
Former President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that special counsel Jack Smith has told him that he is the "target" of the January 6 investigation and needs to appear before a grand jury.
"HORRIFYING NEWS for our Country was given to me by my attorneys," Trump posted in a statement on Truth Social. The former president claimed that he received news of the letter on Sunday.
Trump, as he has previously, then claimed that Smith's investigation was a "WITCH HUNT" and an effort to derail his chances at retaking the White House.
"Deranged Jack Smith, the prosecutor with Joe Biden's DOJ, sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6 Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment."
The former president is correct that a target letter is typically followed by an indictment. As of now, Trump is the only source for the news. A spokesperson for Smith's team declined to comment.
When Smith sent a target letter to Trump about his alleged mishandling of classified evidence, the former president declined to appear before the grand jury. Trump was later criminally indicted in the classified documents case.
According to multiple reports, top former Trump officials have all testified before the grand jury, including former Vice President Mike Pence and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Some of the officials testified before the House January 6 committee, but Pence and others notably refused to testify to House lawmakers, raising the possibility that Smith has more information about what Trump was doing in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
The news comes as Trump maintains a commanding lead over the 2024 Republican presidential primary field, underlining how his legal headaches could continue to upend the campaign.
Smith is already prosecuting Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents and refusing to turn them over after being repeatedly asked to do so. The former president has denied any wrongdoing in that case as well. Trump's legal team was already scheduled to appear in court in Florida on Tuesday in the documents case.