According to information obtained by The Independent, the Department of Justice is poised to seek indictments against a number of individuals associated with former President Donald Trump and may even file new charges against him in the coming weeks.
Sources familiar with the situation claim that the department is preparing to indict the former president in the Southern District of Florida on what is known as a “superseding indictment” — a second set of charges against a defendant who has already been indicted that may include more serious offenses.
However, depending on how they feel the case they have brought against Mr. Trump is progressing, prosecutors may even decide to file further charges against him in a different court.
The Independent understands that whether or not prosecutors decide to ask a grand jury for additional charges, as well as where to ask for them, will depend in part on whether or not they believe 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 against Mr. Trump that was handed down on June 8th, either in a superseding indictment in the same Florida court or in a different federal judicial district. In either scenario, they would do so with the aid of evidence against the former president that has not yet been made publically known by the department, such as further tapes that prosecutors have gotten that show Mr. Trump making incriminating remarks.
It is also believed that Mr. Smith’s team is prepared to file charges against a number of former Mr. Trump legal counsel, including those who supported the ex-president in his effort to disregard the will of the people and maintain the White House despite losing the 2020 election.
Rudy Giuliani, a former New York City mayor and Mr. Trump’s longtime personal attorney, is one of these individuals.
A voluntary interview with prosecutors was reportedly conducted by 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 defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Smith is the Justice Department special counsel whose office filed charges against Mr. Trump earlier this month.
Furthermore, it is believed that Mr. Giuliani’s cooperation with prosecutors was carried out as part of a “queen for a day” agreement, which allows the former mayor to avoid indictment for anything he discloses to prosecutors during the interview.
The disgraced former federal prosecutor will be able to avoid some charges as a result, but according to a source with knowledge of the situation, Mr. Smith’s office will “most definitely” file charges against Mr. Giuliani for his support of Mr. Trump in the weeks leading up to the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The Independent has also learned that Mr. Giuliani’s “proffer” meeting with prosecutors focused 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 by way of majorities in crucial swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona.