As Donald Trump prepares to face his third criminal indictment of the year, the former president is recruiting some of his top allies on Capitol Hill to come to his defense.
Trump spoke with both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik on Tuesday to strategize how Republican lawmakers will go on the offense to defend the former president ahead of the possible criminal charges, two sources confirmed to the Washington Examiner. The conversations come after Trump announced he had been informed by special counsel Jack Smith that he is the target of an investigation into the Jan. 6 riot and the former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
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It’s not clear how GOP leaders will brief members to defend Trump, but it’s likely they will advise allies to go on the offense against Smith and the investigation itself, according to sources.
Several Republican lawmakers have already come to Trump’s defense, denouncing the investigation as being politically motivated and intended to sabotage President Joe Biden’s top 2024 challenger. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), one of the former president’s staunchest allies, decried the investigation on Tuesday, calling Smith a “little b****.”
"It's absolute bulls***. That's my reaction. This is the only way that the Democrats have to beat President Trump is to arrest him, smear him, charge him with ridiculous charges, all in a cover-up of Joe Biden's crimes, Hunter Biden's crimes," Greene said on Tuesday. "It's unbelievable, it's hard to even recognize that this is our country."
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said he would introduce legislation to defund Smith’s investigation altogether, accusing the special counsel of election interference.
The movement on Capitol Hill comes hours after Trump posted on Truth Social that Smith sent a letter to the former president, informing him he only has four days to report to a grand jury as part of the investigation. Such a notification “ almost always means an Arrest and indictment,” Trump wrote.
“So now, Joe Biden’s Attorney General, Merrick Garland … together with Joe Biden’s Department of Injustice, have effectively issued a third indictment and Arrest of Joe Biden’s NUMBER ONE POLITICAL OPPONENT, who is largely dominating him in the race for the Presidency,” Trump wrote. “THIS WITCH HUNT IS ALL ABOUT ELECTION INTERFERENCE AND A COMPLETE AND TOTAL POLITICAL WEAPONIZATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT! It is a very sad and dark period for our Nation!”
The latest development comes as the special counsel’s office ramps up its investigation regarding Trump’s efforts to reverse his loss to Biden in 2020, as well as his conduct during the Jan. 6 riot. Smith is leading the DOJ effort, calling witnesses to give insight into 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 former Vice President Mike Pence to assist with that effort on Jan. 6.
Smith has already issued a number of subpoenas to local officials in battleground states where Trump sought to overturn election results requesting communications with the former president in the weeks following the 2020 election. The special counsel’s team also met with former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani earlier this year to provide insight into Trump’s thinking after his reelection loss.
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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, according to previous reporting.
One centers on seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct a government proceeding, similar to charges levied against those arrested after 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.