Trump says the DOJ has “effectively” indicted him for a second time

In a social media post published yesterday, former President Donald Trump said he’s received a letter from the Justice Department notifying him that he’s the target of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Such “target letters” are commonly sent by the DOJ to notify someone that they’re the subject of a federal investigation nearing its end, and to give them a chance to testify before a grand jury prior to prosecutors seeking an indictment.

🏛️🗳 A deeper dive... It’s currently unclear what specific charges Trump might face, or when he could be officially indicted. But based on interviews by Smith’s prosecutors and subpoenas issued by the grand jury over the past few months, the focus has been on three main areas:

1. Trump’s potential involvement in an alleged scheme to convince Republican electors from some states to certify Trump as the victor instead of Biden – even though more votes went to Biden.
2. Whether Trump illegally pressured VP Mike Pence to reject Biden’s electors when Congress gathered to confirm the election results on January 6, 2021.
3. If Trump violated federal law by fundraising off false claims of election fraud.

⚖️ Zoom out: DOJ special counsel Jack Smith’s office is also currently prosecuting Trump on a separate, 37-count indictment accusing the former president of retaining classified government documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort and obstructing officials’ efforts to retrieve them.

• The first pretrial hearing in that case was held yesterday, but ended without an official decision on when the trial will begin.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, should Trump be indicted on federal charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election?

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