Former President Donald Trump declined to meet last week with a grand jury investigating whether he should be criminally charged in connection to the events that culminated in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, The Hill reported Monday.
Trump on Tuesday said he received a "target letter" from the office of special counsel Jack Smith of the Department of Justice, who is overseeing several probes into Trump's conduct.
Sources told the Independent that the letter set a midnight Thursday deadline for Trump to say whether he would appear before the grand jury to give evidence on his own behalf, and that Trump did not respond by that time.
A member of Trump's legal team said that any answers Trump gave to the grand jury could have been used against him, which meant there was no reason to testify.
Trump's refusal to appear before the grand jury makes it all but inevitable that he will soon be criminally charged, according to The Hill.
Prosecutors are expected to ask grand jurors this week to vote on whether to approve an indictment of Trump, the Independent reported.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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