According to information obtained by The Independent, the Department of Justice is preparing to pursue indictments against a number of individuals associated with former President Donald Trump, and may even file new charges against Trump himself in the coming weeks.
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, the department is preparing to indict the former president in the Southern District of Florida on a “superseding indictment” — a second set of charges against a previously indicted defendant that may include more serious offenses.
However, depending on how they view the progression of the case they have presented against Mr. Trump, prosecutors may decide to file additional charges in a different jurisdiction.
The Independent has learned that whether or not prosecutors decide to ask a grand jury for additional charges, and where they ask for them, will depend in part on whether they believe that Aileen Cannon, a district judge appointed by Trump who is overseeing the case against the former president in the Southern District of Florida, is showing the twice-impeached and now twice-indicted former president undue deference.
The federal prosecutors led by Special Counsel Jack Smith are currently prepared to add “additional 30 to 45 charges” to the 37-count indictment issued against Mr. Trump on June 8th, either in a superseding indictment in the same Florida court or in a different federal judicial district. In either case, they would do so using evidence against the former president that has not yet been made public by the department, such as additional recordings of Mr. Trump making incriminating statements obtained by prosecutors.
It is also believed that Mr. Smith’s legal team is prepared to file charges against a number of former legal counsel for Mr. Trump, including those who supported the ex-president’s efforts to disregard the will of the people and retain the White House despite losing the 2020 election.
Former New York City mayor and longtime personal attorney for Mr. Trump, Rudy Giuliani, is one of these individuals.
Mr. Giuliani, whose law license was suspended in New York and Washington due to allegations that he made numerous false statements while attempting to assist Mr. Trump in overturning his 2020 presidential election loss to Joe Biden, reportedly conducted a voluntary interview with prosecutors. Mr. Smith is the special counsel for the Justice Department, whose office filed charges against Mr. Trump earlier this month.
In addition, it is believed that Mr. Giuliani’s cooperation with prosecutors was part of a “queen for a day” agreement, which allows the former mayor to evade indictment for any information he reveals to prosecutors during the interview.
As a result, the disgraced former federal prosecutor will be able to avoid some charges, but according to a source with knowledge of the situation, Mr. Smith’s office will “absolutely” file charges against Mr. Giuliani for his support of Mr. Trump in the weeks preceding the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
The Independent has also learned that Mr. Giuliani’s “proffer” meeting with prosecutors centered primarily on Mr. Trump’s schemes during that time as he sought to find a way to serve a second term in office, even against the will of the voters who had given Mr. Biden the White House via majorities in pivotal swing states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona.