Trump says second federal indictment imminent
(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump says he is going to be indicted at 5 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, according to a post he wrote on Truth Social.
Shortly before 4:45 p.m. ET, Trump said special counsel Jack Smith, who he called "deranged," would be filing an indictment at 5 p.m.
That's when special counsel Jack Smith is set to speak about the Justice Department investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
On Monday, Trump said he would be indicted "any day now" in a Truth Social post.
Last month, the former president said he had received a letter indicating he was the target of a grand jury investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Over the past year, Smith's team has questioned a number of people including former Vice President Mike Pence, Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and local election officials in states including Michigan and New Mexico.
The investigation has focused on the role Trump's lawyers played during the push to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
In December, the House Jan. 6 Committee wrapped up its own investigation into the riot at the Capitol and recommended criminal charges against the former president.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing, using his social media platform Truth Social to denounce special counsel Jack Smith. The former president called Smith "deranged" in a post on Monday and blasted the special counsel's team as a "highly partisan gang of Thugs."
If Trump is indicted, it would be the third criminal indictment against the former president. He was first indicted in April by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for falsifying business records. He faces 34 counts in that case.
The second was delivered in June, related to Trump's retention of classified documents after his presidency. Trump faces 37 counts of mishandling classified documents.
Trump may also face a possible indictment in Georgia, where Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating whether Trump broke the law as he pressured state election officials to change election results.
The indictments have implications for the 2024 presidential race. Trump is currently leading most national polling for the Republican nomination, which creates the possibility that these legal troubles may continue to dog him in a general election against incumbent President Joe Biden.