Trump Lawyers Meet With Special Counsel’s Team as Jan. 6 Indictment Looms

WASHINGTON— Donald Trump’s lawyers met Thursday with special counsel Jack Smith’s team, people familiar with the matter said, as federal prosecutors move closer toward bringing an indictment against the former president over efforts to cling to power after his 2020 election loss.

It couldn’t immediately be determined what they were discussing, but defense lawyers often use such meetings to make last-ditch arguments against charging a client. Prosecutors recently told Trump’s legal team he is a target of Smith’s far-ranging investigation into attempts by Trump and his allies to undermine the 2020 election, the clearest sign yet that an indictment may be looming. Thursday’s meeting was another indication that the probe is moving into a critical phase.

Trump’s lawyers, John Lauro and Todd Blanche, arrived Thursday morning at Smith’s office, several miles away from the Justice Department’s main headquarters in downtown Washington, the people said. A spokesman for Smith declined to comment.

The special counsel’s target letter cites three statutes, according to a person familiar with the matter, including a Reconstruction-era civil-rights charge, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of an official proceeding. 

An indictment would open a second federal criminal case against Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, under the administration led by his potential 2024 rival, President Biden. Smith’s office is also prosecuting Trump on a separate, 37-count indictment alleging he retained classified government documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort and obstructed the government’s efforts to retrieve them. A federal judge has scheduled the trial in that case to begin on May 20, 2024. 

In the election-interference probe, Smith and his team cast a wide net in their investigation into attempts by Trump and his allies to stop the transfer of power to Biden in the days leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, where Trump had urged his supporters to go in protest while lawmakers were certifying Biden’s win.

For months, the probe has advanced on a number of tracks, with prosecutors examining efforts to assemble fake slates of pro-Trump electors to send to Congress; pressuring former Vice President Mike Pence to thwart the congressional certification of Biden’s win; pressing state officials to undo their results; fundraising off false claims of election fraud; and rallying his supporters to march to the Capitol.

Federal grand jurors in Washington have heard from a variety of witnesses, including election officials from several states, White House lawyers, Trump campaign officials and a list of Trump’s closest aides. Pence, Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows and other senior officials in Trump’s closest circles also testified after Trump’s lawyers tried unsuccessfully to block their appearances, citing executive privilege. Prosecutors interviewed Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani for eight hours. 

—Alex Leary contributed to this article.

Write to Sadie Gurman at [email protected]