Donald Trump’s lawyers met with officials at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday morning amidst growing speculation that a grand jury is moving closer to seeking an indictment of the former president. John Rowley, James Trusty, and Lindsey Halligan, the lawyers representing Trump, were seen walking into the DOJ headquarters in Washington, D.C. CBS News tweeted a photo of the three attorneys, which NBC News later confirmed. However, the lawyers declined to comment on the meeting when they left shortly before noon ET.
Investigation on Trump
Special counsel Jack Smith is investigating Trump in two separate cases. The first case relates to Trump’s retention of government documents, many of them classified, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida when he left the White House and possible obstruction of justice in thwarting the recovery of that material by the National Archives and Records Administration. The federal grand jury that has been hearing evidence in that case is expected to resume proceedings this week in Washington, according to NBC News.
The second probe by Smith is focused on Trump’s efforts and allies, including his campaign lawyers, to overturn his loss in the 2020 election of President Joe Biden, and effectively block confirmation of Biden’s victory in the Electoral College by a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.
Criminal Investigation
Apart from the two investigations, Trump is also being criminally investigated by a state prosecutor in Atlanta for his effort to get Georgia officials to reverse Biden’s victory in that state in 2020. Georgia was one of several swing states that Biden won, sealing his victory in the Electoral College.
In March, a grand jury in New York City charged Trump with falsifying business records related to a hush money payment his then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid a porn star shortly before the presidential election in 2016. Trump has pleaded not guilty in that case, which is scheduled to go to trial next March, in the middle of the presidential primary season.
Trump is the only U.S. president, former or otherwise, ever to be criminally charged. In response to the DOJ meeting, Trump posted an all-caps message to his Truth Social account, saying, “How can DOJ possibly charge me, who did nothing wrong, when no other presidents were charged.” The meeting did not include Attorney General Merrick Garland or Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, according to NBC News.
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