Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, revealed on Tuesday July 18, that he had received a letter from prosecutors indicating a high probability of him facing criminal charges related to the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.
The 77-year-old Trump, in the hunt for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is already facing criminal charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith for mishandling top secret government documents after leaving the White House.
Trump said he received a letter from Smith on Sunday stating that he’s a target of the probe into January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed Congress in a bid to prevent the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
It was not immediately clear what specific charges Trump may face. A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.
An unnamed advisor to Trump told The Washington Post the former president would decline the invitation to testify before the grand jury investigating the Capitol riot.
Trump was indicted by Smith in June for allegedly stashing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the first former US president to face criminal charges.
Trump is charged with 31 counts of “willful retention of national defense information,” each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He also faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements and other offenses.
According to the indictment, Trump kept the files, which included records from the Pentagon, CIA and National Security Agency, unsecured at his Mar-a-Lago home.
The judge presiding over the documents case is to hold a hearing in Florida later Tuesday to discuss a date for the trial to begin.
Georgia prosecutors are also investigating whether Trump illegally attempted to overturn the presidential election outcome in the southern state.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
