Originally published July 18, 2023 8:30 am PDT
In a new development, former President Donald J. Trump revealed on Tuesday that he is the target of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation.
The revelation came through an official statement from Trump, posted on his Truth Social app.
The former president stated, “Deranged Jack Smith, the prosecutor with Joe Biden’s DOJ, sent a letter stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and indictment.”
The news comes at a time when Trump appears to be gearing up for another presidential run, touting his success in a recent straw poll at the Turning Point event in Florida, where he reported he “won the Straw Poll against all other Republican candidates with 85.7%.”
Furthermore, he said that he is “leading Democrat Joe Biden in the polls by a lot,” and that “almost everyone [is] predicting that I will be the Republican Nominee for President.”
However, Trump argues that the Grand Jury investigation is politically motivated.
In his statement, he accuses Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of carrying out “a third Indictment and Arrest of Joe Biden’s NUMBER ONE POLITICAL OPPONENT, who is largely dominating him in the race for the Presidency.”
He added, “Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before, or even close.”
The former President criticized what he sees as a history of targeting by law enforcement and intelligence agencies during his time in the White House and beyond.
He wrote, “They illegally spied on my Campaign, attacked me with a totally Fake ‘Dossier’ that was funded by Hillary Clinton’s Campaign and the DNC, Impeached me twice (I won!), they failed on the Mueller Witch Hunt (No Collusion!), they failed on the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax.”
In his statement, Trump also alleges that there is a “probable fourth” indictment coming from Atlanta, “where the DOJ are in strict, and possibly illegal, coordination with the District Attorney, whose record on murder and other violent crime is abysmal.”
He concluded his statement by characterizing these legal challenges as a “WITCH HUNT” and “ALL ABOUT ELECTION INTERFERENCE AND A COMPLETE AND TOTAL POLITICAL WEAPONIZATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT!”
The former president described it as “a very sad and dark period for our Nation.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) defended the former president on Tuesday, pointing reporters to the weaponization of the Biden administration against its political enemies.
“If you notice recently, President Trump went up in the polls and was actually surpassing President Biden for reelection. So what do they do now?” he asked. “Weaponize government to go after their number-one opponent.”
“The American public is tired of this,” McCarthy added.
