Feds 'warn Trump he is likely to be indicted' but he denies claims
Donald Trump has been told he can expect to be indicted under the Espionage Act by federal prosecutors but the former president claims he has not.
Multiple outlets reported Trump is likely to be indicted imminently as the Department of Justice (DoJ) denied a request by the 45th president's legal team to delay the charges, which are also said to include obstruction of justice.
No president, sitting or former, has ever been indicted on federal charges which could land at Trump's door as early as tomorrow.
Section 793 of the US criminal code involves “gathering, transmitting or losing” any “information respecting the national defence”.
Grand jurors are expected to be asked to vote on the indictment on Thursday.
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The section carries a punishment of up to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors are expected to ask the grand jury to vote as early tomorrow, but this could be delayed by a week so that jurors can look at a clearer presentation of evidence.
No president has ever been indicted on federal charges (AFP via Getty Images)A variety of witnesses, including lawyers for Trump, close aides to the former president and officials with the Trump Organization, have appeared over the past year before the grand jury in Washington.
That Mar-a-Lago investigation, being led by special counsel Jack Smith's team of prosecutors, is thought to be in its final stages, with a charging decision expected soon.
It is understood that Trump's final White House chief of staff Mark Meadows will plead guilty to a number of federal charges for a deal in which he will receive limited immunity for his testimony against his former boss.
What the testimony will relate to is unclear, but it could involve the documents investigation or even a separate probe into the events of January 6 at the Capitol in 2021, when supports of the Republican president stormed the Capitol.
Trump's lawyers met at the Justice Department on Monday with officials including Smith, part of an effort by the legal team to raise concerns about what they say is prosecutorial misconduct and to try to argue against a potential indictment.
The investigation has focused not only on the possession of classified documents, including at the top-secret level, but also on the refusal of Trump to return the records when asked, and on possible obstruction.
The FBI last year issued a subpoena for classified records at the property, and after coming to suspect that Trump and his representatives had not returned all the documents, returned with a search warrant and recovered an additional 100 with classification markings.
Trump's lawyers submitted allegations of witness tampering and claim a senior prosecutor tried to influence a key witness by discussing a federal judgeship with their lawyer.
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The request is with Chief US District Judge James E. Boasberg in Washington DC.
A separate grand jury in Florida is hearing evidence (Getty Images)Federal law dictates that charges must be brought in the jurisdiction where the alleged crimes took place. As such, a separate grand jury in Florida is hearing evidence.
The probe into Trump began last year when the FBI recovered classified documents from his home in Mar-a-Lago.
A total of 103 documents were found marked with classified markings; 54 were marked 'secret' and 31 as 'confidential'.
Earlier today, a former top aide to Donald Trump, Taylor Budowich, appeared in court to testify before the grand jury in Florida.
Budowich said: "Today, in what can only be described as a bogus and deeply troubling effort to use the power of government to ‘get’ Trump, I fulfilled a legal obligation to testify in front a federal grand jury and I answered every question honestly."
Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social in an attempt to rubbish reports of an impending indictment.
He said: "No one has told me I’m being indicted...
"I shouldn’t be because I’ve done NOTHING wrong, but I have assumed for years that I am a Target of the WEAPONIZED DOJ & FBI, starting with the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX, the “No Collusion” Mueller Report, Impeachment HOAX #1, Impeachment HOAX #2, the PERFECT Ukraine phone call, and various other SCAMS & WITCH HUNTS. A TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE & ELECTION INTERFERENCE AT A LEVEL NEVER SEEN BEFORE. REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS MUST MAKE THIS THEIR # 1 ISSUE!!!"
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