Trump says he is target of federal probe into efforts to overturn 2020 election

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Ex-US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Justice Department officials have informed him that he is a target of their investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Trump said he received a letter from officials in special counsel Jack Smith's office on Sunday that told him he has "4 days" to present himself to the grand jury investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, which he said, "almost always means an Arrest and Indictment."

"Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before, or even close," Trump, who remains the leading Republican candidate heading into next year's presidential polls, said in a statement.

"They have now effectively indicted me three times (the DOJ staffed and runs the D.A.'s office in Manhattan), with a possible fourth coming from Atlanta, where the DOJ are in strict, and possible illegal coordination with the District Attorney," he added.

It is not clear which charges Trump could face, or if others could be indicted alongside him.

Trump has so far faced indictments in two cases – the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels that New York state prosecutors say were falsely disclosed as legal fees to then-attorney Michael Cohen, and in the federal case brought by the Justice Department concerning his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Trump has denied wrongdoing in both cases, maintaining they are part of an orchestrated political campaign against him. The suggestions have been roundly rejected by prosecutors.

Trump’s attorneys in the classified documents case requested last week that proceedings be delayed until after the 2024 election, a significant postponement from the Dec. 11 start date requested by the Justice Department.

A third indictment could be in the offing as Georgia state prosecutors are expected to announce a decision on whether or not charges will be brought against the ex-president for his attempt to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.

The grand jury that will ultimately make the decision on whether or not to bring charges was sworn in last week in Atlanta. Prosecutors have indicated that a decision could come in August.