By Sheharyar The meeting between Trump’s legal team and the special counsel comes at a critical juncture in the ongoing investigation. As the specter of a federal indictment looms, the legal battle ahead is likely to be intense and closely watched by the public and media alike. Regardless of the outcome, the implications of this case on Trump’s political future will be far-reaching.
The meeting between Donald Trump’s defense lawyers and special counsel Jack Smith has concluded, but the former president’s team did not receive any guidance regarding the potential timing of an indictment.
Trump had been opposing this meeting with Smith’s team ever since he received a letter indicating he was a target of the investigation earlier this month. According to two sources familiar with his thinking, the former president believed the indictment was already inevitable.
On Thursday, the grand jury, which is examining evidence related to Trump and his allies’ efforts to overturn the 2020 election, convened at the federal courthouse in Washington, DC. After a brief lunch break, the grand jury resumed its session. Notably, the grand jury’s presence had not been observed within the federal courthouse since last week, as it typically meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The legal team representing Trump in Thursday’s meeting with Smith consisted of John Lauro and Todd Blanche, as reported by sources familiar with the matter. Lauro recently joined the team to handle affairs pertaining to the 2020 election and the events leading up to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
By seeking a meeting with Smith’s team, Trump’s lawyers hoped to at least postpone any potential plans for the grand jury to hand down an indictment on Thursday, according to individuals briefed on the matter. Additionally, another source familiar with the legal team’s thinking revealed that they also intended to discuss the logistics of a potential indictment and the arraignment process for the former president.
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Trump’s political and legal strategy has centered around delaying any potential trials, even pushing them beyond the 2024 election if possible. This approach aims to place the Justice Department in an uncomfortable position, as they would be pursuing a prosecution against President Joe Biden’s chief rival for the 2024 election while primary voters are already starting to cast their votes.
Every passing day that they manage to postpone handing up an indictment brings a corresponding delay to the ultimate trial date.
This is not the first time Donald Trump has faced potential charges brought forth by Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team. Prior to facing charges in Florida in connection to Smith’s investigation concerning the mishandling of classified documents from his White House, Trump had already been notified by prosecutors that he was a target of that particular investigation.
Prosecutors are not obligated to provide such warnings to their investigatory targets. It was around the same time when Trump received the notification about the potential charges related to classified documents that his lawyers held a meeting with prosecutors representing Smith’s team back in early June. Subsequently, the indictment for the classified documents charges was brought against him later that month.