Legal experts and conservative political commentators were in an uproar following ex-President Donald Trump’s assertion that he received a letter stating he is a subject of the Justice Department’s Jan. 6th riot investigation.
Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday morning to announce his expectation of arrest and indictment, citing a letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith, which allegedly informed him of being a “target of the January 6th grand jury investigation.” According to Trump, the letter demanded his appearance before the Grand Jury within four days.
“Jack Smith sending President Trump a target letter and then indicating he has to appear in front of the Grand Jury makes no sense,” Brett Tolman, former U.S. attorney and the executive director of Right on Crime, posted on Twitter.
“Rarely do you put a target in front of the GJ. They will plead the 5th and you run the risk of compromising your case given Due Process rights.”
Jack Smith sending President Trump a target letter and then indicating he has to appear in front of the Grand Jury makes no sense. Rarely do you put a target in front of the GJ. They will plead the 5th and you run the risk of compromising your case given Due Process rights.
— Brett L. Tolman (@tolmanbrett) July 18, 2023
“Having witnessed firsthand their abuse of power, no surprise these partisans now want to arrest Trump on political charges. This is a dire threat to the rule of law,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton tweeted.
I was harassed for hours by the Jack Smith grand jury as his anti-Trump prosecutors argued with me about challenges to the 2020 election, including whether or not I watched Trump's election night speech. Having witnessed firsthand their abuse of power, no surprise these partisans…
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) July 18, 2023
On Twitter, radio host and author Mark Levin expressed his outrage, calling on conservatives and Republicans to be furious with the rogue Biden prosecutor, the approving Attorney General behind this perceived farce, and the apparent DOJ/FBI efforts to undermine Trump and support Biden’s re-election.
Conservatives and Republicans everywhere should be furious with the SOB rogue Biden prosecutor, the AG who’s approving this farce, and the undeniable DOJ/FBI campaign to destroy Trump and re-elect Biden. More on radio this evening.https://t.co/8qNufRvytP
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) July 18, 2023
Julie Kelly, author and senior contributor to American Greatness, raised the possibility of Trump facing charges of seditious conspiracy.
I’ve warned of this for over a year.
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) July 18, 2023
I take no pride in being right.
Only question now is what charges Smith will bring (strong possibility he’ll seek indictment on seditious conspiracy) and who is charged with him. (Any conspiracy charge requires at least one conspirator) https://t.co/BeLCpvloeM
“Kind of crazy to think that had he illegally bought a gun, lied on the background check form, laundered money, evaded taxes, accepted bribes from foreign oligarchs, and smuggled cocaine into the WH, DOJ would’ve looked the other way,” Federalist CEO Sean Davis tweeted, referencing the DOJ’s investigation into Hunter Biden, in a post that was retweeted by Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance.
“Instead he told people to protest peacefully.”
— JD Vance (@JDVance) July 18, 2023
“The continued politicization and weaponization of the Department of Justice has turned our institutions into enforcers for the Biden administration’s partisan priorities,” Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz posted. “It remains deeply harmful to the rule of law.”
The continued politicization and weaponization of the Department of Justice has turned our institutions into enforcers for the Biden administration’s partisan priorities.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 18, 2023
It remains deeply harmful to the rule of law. https://t.co/gs4sszgzr9
In his recent post, Trump claimed to have been effectively indicted three times, with a potential fourth indictment looming from Atlanta. He emphasized that the ongoing investigation is centered on election interference and the politicization of law enforcement. A government source confirmed to Fox News that Trump did indeed receive a target letter from Smith’s office.
Currently, Trump faces 34 felony charges in New York City relating to alleged falsification of business records and federal charges linked to handling classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. He maintains a not guilty plea for both cases.
Separately, Georgia prosecutors are conducting an investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results in the state. The top prosecutor in Fulton County indicated that charging decisions might be announced next month.
