A recent letter by Donald Trump’s lawyers requesting a meeting with US attorney general Merrick Garland has sparked speculation that a fresh indictment could be looming against the former president.
Mr Trump just hours ago “truthed” a letter dated 23 May on his social media platform Truth Social in which his lawyers alleged he “is being treated unfairly” in the investigation related to classified documents found stashed in his properties after his run as president got over.
“Unlike president Biden, his son Hunter, and the Biden family, president Trump is being treated unfairly,” said the letter undersigned by Trump attorneys John P Rowley and James M Trusty.
“No president of the United States has ever, in the history of our country, been baselessly investigated in such an outrageous and unlawful fashion,” they said.
While it is not unusual for defence lawyers to seek meetings with senior Justice Department officials, the letter has a rare request seeking a meeting with Mr Garland, the American government’s top lawyer.
“We request a meeting at your earliest convenience to discuss the ongoing injustice that is being perpetrated by your Special Counsel and his prosecutors,” it said, referring to special counsel Jack Smith who is reportedly wrapping up his year-long investigation into the classified documents case.
It has repeatedly been suggested by Justice Department officials that the decision to pursue charges against the Republican frontrunner for president, or anyone else in the investigation, belongs with the special counsel and his team.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the letter, while Mr Trump’s lawyers and spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
Correspondents tracking the hearing and investigation are now saying that such rare requests indicate a tilt in the scales towards a fresh indictment for Mr Trump.
“This is the end of the road before an indictment. Standard practice to allow defence to make a presentation before deciding to charge. This is likely Trump’s effort to appeal after being rebuffed by Smith. Childish language notwithstanding,” said Andrew Weissmann, co-host of MSNBC podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump.
Senior reporter Katherine Faulders cited sources and said the requests are an attempt by Mr Trump’s lawyers to shield him from a fresh indictment.
“Trump sends letter to Garland asking for a meeting at his earliest convenience. The letter is thin on details, but sources familiar with the request tell me his lawyers want to present arguments that he shouldn’t be indicted related to his handling of classified information,” she tweeted.
Mr Garland recently did not move to overrule any of the actions taken in the probe by special counsel John Durham into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation in 2016. Special counsels are said to enjoy broad autonomy within the Justice Department.
President Joe Biden could vault to a massive lead over Mr Trump if the latter faces further criminal charges from the federal and state criminal investigations into his conduct, according to a new poll obtained by The Independent.
The poll of 1,571 registered voters was conducted by WPA Research, a Republican polling firm.
The CEO of WPA is an adviser to Never Back Down, a Super PAC supporting Florida governor Ron DeSantis – but the survey was conducted independently without his input and was not sponsored by the Super PAC.
