Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has provided insight into the possible scope of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The Republican governor, who survived a Trump-backed attempt to oust him last year, told USA Today on Sunday that Mr Smith’s office had contacted him.
However, it is unclear at what stage Mr Smith’s investigation is or whether Mr Kemp’s office has produced or agreed to produce any evidence or testimony.
“Our office has been contacted by Jack Smith’s office,” the governor’s spokesman said. Mr Kemp’s office declined to comment further when The Independent contacted him.
News of Mr Smith’s communications with Mr Kemp comes a week after his office reportedly delivered a targeted letter to Mr Trump’s legal department, a sign that charges are being prepared.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) has indicated that the twice indicted and twice indicted former president is the focus of its probe into the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and the broader Trump campaign effort to overthrow the election.
Mr Trump, who is running for re-election in 2024, announced the arrival of that letter on his social media platform Truth Social, two days after he allegedly received it.
“On Sunday night while I was with my family, my attorneys brought me TERRIBLE NEWS for our country,” he wrote.
“The deranged Jack Smith … sent a letter (again it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6 grand jury investigation and gave me a very short notice of four days to report to the grand jury, which almost always means an arrest and indictment.”
The Independent, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that the letter to Mr Trump informed him that the Justice Department was considering indicting him on conspiracy to defraud the United States; Obstruction of an official process and deprivation of civil rights under the guise of the law.
It gave Mr Trump a deadline of midnight Thursday to report to the grand jury and state whether he would testify during the pre-trial phase of the investigation or present his own evidence.
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Sources have also told The Independent that charges could be filed at any time after the deadline.
Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election were by no means limited to Georgia. His campaign is known to have supported lists of fake voters in other states where Mr. Trump lost to Joe Biden, including Arizona and Wisconsin.
For weeks, Mr Smith and the Justice Department have remained largely silent on the status of the Jan. 6 investigation, which has already resulted in the conviction of hundreds of rioters.
Should Trump stand trial, it would almost certainly take place in the 2024 election cycle. A separate trial is scheduled to take place next spring against the former president over the alleged illegal storage of classified materials and records belonging to the president.