Donald Trump's Lawyers Meeting With Justice Department Raises Questions
Lawyers for Donald Trump reportedly met with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday morning as the investigation into the former president's alleged mishandling of classified documents might be nearing its end.
Attorneys John Rowley, James Trusty and Lindsey Halligan arrived at the DOJ at about 10 a.m. and made no comment as they entered the building, according to CBS News. The meeting is perceived as a sign that special counsel Jack Smith is near the completion of his investigation and an indictment could soon be forthcoming.
"Trump's lawyers meeting with the Department of Justice means they expect an indictment, and probably sometime soon," former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Newsweek.
A grand jury for the case is expected to hear testimony this week from another witness at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., according to a source who communicated with CNN. It would be the newest grand jury activity in more than a month.
The attorneys' appearances came after Rowley and Trusty wrote a letter May 23 to Attorney General Merrick Garland, requesting a meeting to discuss "the ongoing injustice" of Smith's dual investigations. Smith was tapped not just to look into whether Trump—who has maintained his innocence regarding all ongoing criminal investigations—mishandled classified documents, but whether he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
"President Trump is being treated unfairly," the lawyers wrote in the letter, which Trump shared on his social media platform, Truth Social. "No President of the United States has ever, in the history of our country, been baselessly investigated in such an outrageous and unlawful fashion."
Trump again maintained his innocence last week after CNN reported that Smith's office received a recording of the former president discussing a secret Pentagon paper during a July 2021 meeting in which Trump said he couldn't show its contents to others because he no longer had presidential power to declassify the document.
The document was related to a potential attack on Iran before Trump left office in January 2021, according to The Guardian. Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity during a campaign event in Iowa on Thursday that "everything I did was right," saying he followed the Presidential Records Act "100 percent."
In the past 48 hours, Trump has posted multiple times on Truth Social about what he refers to as the "boxes hoax." The Republican front-runner for the 2024 presidential nomination has equated the classified documents investigation to other investigations into his purported behavior, including the Russian dossier and alleged collusion that helped him win the 2016 election; and his recent indictment by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office because Trump allegedly wrote a $130,000 "hush money" check to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign.
"Reports are the Marxist Special Prosecutor, DOJ, & FBI, want to Indict me on the BOXES HOAX, despite all of the wrongdoing that they have done for SEVEN YEARS, including SPYING ON MY CAMPAIGN," Trump wrote on Sunday.
"Biden Crimes go unpunished, including that he had Boxes in Chinatown, in his garage by the 'Corvette,' & 1,850 Boxes in Delaware that he won't allow anyone to see. That is real OBSTRUCTION! They seek retribution for Republicans looking into Biden's CRIMES! I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!"
President Joe Biden was also found to be in possession of classified documents in multiple locations, though his defense counsel has argued that the president has been much more forthcoming about them and more compliant in their return.
"This is the same tactic they unnecessarily used with the Manhattan District Attorney [Alvin Bragg] shortly before charges were filed," Rahmani said. "The public request itself was a bizarre public relations move. The meeting would have to be very different than the letter Trump posted on social media to have any chance of success. Prosecutors aren't going to be swayed by arguments of Trump being treated unfairly or Hunter Biden not being charged."
Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti tweeted that the lawyers' "pitch" to the DOJ is customary and could extend the window for potential charges by an additional five to 15 days.
Rahmani said no specific timeline exists for an indictment if that is the path the DOJ is on, "and there is a lot of smoke they will" issue one, he said. But it is also a function of how often the grand jury meets.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's attorneys via email for comment.
