Donald Trump indictment: Lawyers meet federal prosecutors in election probeon July 27, 2023 at 7:16 pm

Lawyers for former US President Donald Trump have met federal prosecutors, fuelling speculation he is about to be charged over efforts to overturn the 2020 US election result.

Mr Trump’s attorneys John Lauro and Todd Blanche met officials at the office of special prosecutor Jack Smith in Washington DC, US media report.

Mr Trump said earlier this month that he expected to be indicted in the case.

On Thursday he said his lawyers got no indication of when action could follow.

Mr Trump wrote on social media: “My attorneys had a productive meeting with the DOJ [Department of Justice] 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.”

Meetings between lawyers and prosecutors are not unusual ahead of charges being filed.

The former president was at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Thursday.

Mr Trump previously said he had been told by Jack Smith’s office that he was a target of the federal investigation into efforts to overturn his defeat in the presidential election.

According to media reports, the target letter Mr Trump received on 16 July cites three federal statutes: conspiracy to defraud the US, deprivation of rights and tampering with a witness.

The letter also called for the ex-president to report to a grand jury, “which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment”, Mr Trump claimed.

Dozens of top Trump administration officials and advisers have been interviewed as part of the special prosecutor’s investigation, including former Vice-President Mike Pence and former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

The investigation has focused on his actions in the two-month period between his election loss and the riot in Washington DC, where Trump supporters stormed Congress as lawmakers certified Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.

Those who have testified before the grand jury said they were asked about efforts by Mr Trump’s team to organise slates of “fake electors” who would claim he had defeated Mr Biden in seven key states.

Prosecutors in the state of Georgia are also investigating the former president on similar grounds, focusing on whether he illegally pressured officials there to discard Mr Biden’s poll victory.

A decision by prosecutors in Atlanta on whether to indict Mr Trump is expected next month.

In June, Mr Smith’s team charged Mr Trump in a different case with mishandling classified documents. A trial on that indictment is due to begin in federal court in May 2024 – months before the presidential election.

Mr Trump has also been charged in New York City with falsifying business records over 2016 hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

He is currently leading the Republican party’s efforts to unseat Mr Biden in the 2024 election.