WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury convened Thursday a part of the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation into the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
William Russell, a former White House aide who now works for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, was scheduled to testify before the grand jury convened by special counsel Jack Smith.
Russell has previously testified before the grand jury, which is investigating the Jan. 6 riot.
Multiple witnesses have appeared before the grand jury in recent weeks, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as they look into alleged efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election.
“You’ll never take back our country with weakness,” said Trump.
Trump says he has until Thursday to “report to the grand jury, which almost always means an arrest and indictment.”
Trump’s target letter that he received from Special Counsel Jack Smith mentioned three specific federal statutes related to deprivation of rights, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., and tampering with a witness. which applies when someone in authority uses their power to deny the constitutional rights of other Americans.
in response, it is reported that Trump has expanded his legal team after hiring a new lawyer to focus on his defense in the Capitol insurrection investigation and his alleged election interference.
“It’s a disgrace. If you say something about an election, they want to put you in jail for the rest of your life,” said Trump on Tuesday.