By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Donald Trump’s lawyers met with special counsel Jack Smith’s team on Thursday as both sides prepared for an indictment of the former president regarding the January 6 insurrection and his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
John Lauro, one of Trump’s lawyers, was at the meeting, the Associated Press reported.
Earlier this month, Smith’s office informed Trump, the 2024 GOP presidential front-runner, that he was the focus of the Justice Department’s probe.
The investigation primarily focuses on the two months after the November 2020 election.
During that time, Trump refused to accept his loss to Democrat Joe Biden and spread false claims about a stolen election.
His actions culminated in the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump supporters stormed the building, attacked police officers, and stopped the counting of electoral votes in Congress.
More than a thousand people have faced federal charges concerning the Capitol riot.
Trump reportedly pressured local election officials to change the voting results.
He asked Vice President Mike Pence to stop the certification of electoral votes and falsely claimed that he won the 2020 presidential election.
Multiple authorities, such as federal and local officials, courts, former campaign staff, and even his attorney general, all confirmed that there was no evidence to support his fraud claims.
This is the second time Trump has been identified as the focus of a federal probe.
Last month, Smith charged Trump with 37 crimes, including seven violations of federal law.
New York prosecutors charged Trump with over 30 state-related financial crimes this year. A Manhattan jury later found him responsible in a civil sexual abuse trial.
Trump is also awaiting a decision in Georgia. A seated Grand Jury has continued investigating his alleged efforts to influence the 2020 race in that state.
