Special counsel Jack Smith has informed former President Donald Trump that he is a target of the Justice Department's investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The letter was recently shared with Trump's legal team, signaling the potential for a third indictment — ABC News reported that target letters are typically issued to notify individuals in a criminal probe that they could be indicted. ABC News and other outlets also reported that Trump was sent a similar letter from Smith ahead of his indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Smith and his team of prosecutors have questioned witnesses to Trump and his inner circle's efforts to "stop the steal," specifically focusing on reported attempts to certify "alternate" slates of electors in states won by President Joe Biden that would have cast their states' votes for Trump. Investigators have also gleaned information determining the ex-president's behavior ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection in an effort to discern the extent to which Trump was influential in fanning the flames of violence and civil unrest amongst his most ardent supporters. Trump announced the news of the target letter on his TruthSocial platform, referring to the special counsel as "Deranged Jack Smith" and perpetuating the false notion of a political "WITCH HUNT" that "IS ALL ABOUT ELECTION INTERFERENCE AND A COMPLETE AND TOTAL POLITICAL WEAPONIZATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT!"
Trump, on Truth Social, says he received a target letter on Sunday night from Jack Smith regarding the Jan. 6 investigation: pic.twitter.com/JizhbVOkKG
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 18, 2023
