Trump Expects to Be Indicted in Capitol Riot Probe

Donald Trump, a former US president, stated on Tuesday that he anticipated being charged in connection with the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, which would worsen his legal problems as he considers a run for the presidency again.

Special counsel Jack Smith has already filed criminal charges against Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, for handling top-secret government papers after leaving office.Trump claimed to have gotten a letter from Smith on Sunday informing him that he is a subject of the investigation into the January 6, 2021, storming of Congress by Trump supporters seeking to block the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that "Deranged Jack Smith, the prosecutor with Joe Biden's DOJ, sent a letter... stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6 Grand Jury investigation."

The 77-year-old Donald Trump claimed that he was given four days to appear before a grand jury, "which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment."

He claimed that the entire goal of the witch hunt was to influence the outcome of the election and completely politicize law enforcement. "This is a very depressing and dark time for our country!"

Later on Tuesday, Trump said that the Democratic party was sabotaging his political career by utilizing the Department of Justice in an interview with Fox News.

"The DOJ has become a weapon for the Democrats, an absolute weapon," he declared. "They want to try and diminish, demean, and frighten people."

It was unclear right first what accusations Trump would be facing, and an indictment is not usually the outcome of a target letter.

Before the Capitol attack, Trump delivered a fiery speech nearby urging the crowd to "fight like hell," and Smith has spent months looking into January 6 and Trump's other efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

An unnamed advisor to Trump told the Post the former president would decline to appear before the January 6 grand jury, which has already heard testimony from a number of close Trump associates.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested for taking part in what prosecutors have called an insurrection intended to keep Trump in the White House.

Most of them face charges of illegally entering the Capitol or causing property damage, but some 350 have been charged with assaulting law enforcement officers or resisting arrest.

Others, including members of the far-right Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, have been convicted of the more serious charge of seditious conspiracy.

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who is also vying for the 2024 Republican nomination, told Fox News another Trump indictment would be a "distraction."

"We can't keep dealing with this drama," Haley said. "And that's why I'm running. We need a new generational leader."

Kevin McCarthy, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, accused Biden, who is running for reelection, of using the justice system to "go after their number one opponent."

Democratic Representative Adam Schiff denounced McCarthy's remarks as a "shameful" attempt to "provide cover for a corrupt former president."

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 "willful retention of national defense information," conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements and other offenses.

Prosecutors have asked US District Judge Aileen Cannon for a December trial date, while Trump's defense attorneys have asked for it to begin after the November 2024 White House vote.

At a hearing in Fort Pierce, Florida, on Tuesday, Cannon was skeptical about delaying the trial until after the 2024 election but also appeared doubtful it could be held in December, The Washington Post reported.

She said she would issue a decision on a trial date "promptly."

Georgia prosecutors are also investigating whether Trump illegally attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election outcome in the southern state.

In his Truth Social post, Trump said he has "the right to protest an Election that I am fully convinced was Rigged and Stolen" and he was being targeted because of the upcoming vote.

Asked about Trump's potential indictment, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said, "the president respects the Department of Justice, their independence."

Trump pleaded not guilty in New York earlier this year in a case involving election-eve hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who said she had an affair with him.

Trump was impeached by the Democratic-majority House of Representatives in 2019 for seeking political dirt on Biden from Ukraine, and again after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, but was acquitted by the Senate both times.