The Department of Justice is investigating former President Donald Trump as part of its larger criminal inquiry into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to a new report.
Prosecutors have begun asking witnesses, including top aides to former Vice President Mike Pence, about conversations they had with Trump, his lawyers, and others in his inner circle, sources told the Washington Post.
Over hours of interviews, witnesses have been asked questions about meetings Trump held in December 2020 and January 2021 to consider actions aimed at overturning the election, as well as the former president’s pressure campaign on Pence to assist with that effort on Jan. 6, 2021.
Pence, who was at the Capitol that day to preside over the counting of electoral votes, declined to try to send the results back to certain states Trump lost in November over claims of election fraud. In fact, he sent a letter to Congress saying he did not have the power to reject Electoral College votes, dealing a blow to Trump’s hopes to deny a victory for President-elect Joe Biden.
‘AMERICA FIRST MUST MEAN SAFETY FIRST’: TRUMP BURNISHES CRIME CREDENTIALS IN DC RETURN
Prosecutors have sought details about meetings in which Trump and some of his allies suggested submitting alternative slates of electors that could be called on in the event that the election was decertified, sources told the news outlet. Previous reporting said the Justice Department has been investigating such Trump allies as John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani for their part in advising the former president as they developed strategies to block Biden’s path to the White House.
The Justice Department has also received the phone records of top officials in the Trump administration, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows, sources told the Washington Post. The investigation aims to uncover what the former president told his attorneys and senior officials to do as part of their bid to change the 2020 election outcome, and there are two other paths that could lead to additional scrutiny of Trump, the sources said.
One centers on seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct a government proceeding, similar to charges levied against individuals who were arrested for storming the Capitol. Another involves charging Trump with fraud in connection to the false electors plot or his efforts to pressure the DOJ to overturn the results of the election.
The DOJ investigation is being conducted alongside the one being spearheaded by the House Jan. 6 committee and the election criminal investigation being run by the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia.
Marc Short, who was former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, and Greg Jacob, who was his counsel, have appeared before a federal grand jury in Washington, reports revealed on Monday.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has stressed repeatedly, including in an interview airing Tuesday, that no one is off limits in the investigation. He has faced pressure from Democrats and others to take action as the House Jan. 6 committee makes the case that Trump committed crimes in connection to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and conduct related to the Capitol riot.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Trump, who claims he did nothing wrong, delivered a speech Tuesday in Washington, marking his first known visit to the nation’s capital since leaving office in January 2021. He even teased a 2024 presidential run during the address. “They want to damage me so I cannot go back to work for you,” the 45th president said. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“Soon, we will have greatness again,” he added. “We’re just getting ready for an incredible comeback.”
