Former President Donald Trump revealed on Monday that he has been notified by the Department of Justice of his status as a target of the investigation into the January 6 attack, the first real confirmation that he could face criminal charges for his role in the hourslong siege of Capitol Hill.
Mr Trump wrote in a lengthy statement delivered via his Truth Social platform that special counsel Jack Smith had notified him via letter on Sunday about the development; Mr Smith was reportedly preparing a superceding indictment for the former president related to the Jan 6 attack.
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“On Sunday night, while I was with my family…HORRIFYING NEWS for our country was given to me by my attorneys,” said Mr Trump. “Deranged Jack Smith…sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th 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.”
Should Mr Trump face criminal charges related to his efforts to stop Joe Biden’s lawful assumption of power following his own failure to prove his countless conspiratorial allegations of election fraud, it would be the third criminal indictment to come down on the ex-president’s shoulders so far this year. He remains charged with dozens of counts of falsifying business records in New York, as well as facing a similar number of criminal counts at the federal level for his allegedly illegal retention of classified materials and other presidential records.
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The ex-president’s statement concluded with a typical refrain about the supposed politicisation and weaponisation of the various law enforcement agencies looking into a wide range of his activities. He and his legal team are separately awaiting an announcement from prosecutors in Georgia regarding whether charges will be filed in that state over their efforts to change Georgia’s 2020 election results.
The exact number of charges Mr Trump may face related to the DoJ’s January 6 probe is not yet known, nor is the extent of the criminal accusations he may face. The House’s select committee investigating January 6 previously recommended a handful of charges at the conclusion of their hearings in 2022, including the charge of giving comfort to an insurrection.
But the committee’s recommendation was little more than a suggestion, given that the DoJ was pursuing its own investigation and does not take into account the statements of Congress. Investigators including Attorney General Merrick Garland were, however, thought to be following the committee’s hearings and the testimony of witnesses to the panel.
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