Donald Trump.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Former President Donald Trump says he’s received a target letter from the DOJ.The letter, if real, could mean that a Trump indictment related to the Capitol riot is coming.Here’s what we know so far about the months-long investigation.
Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday to say that he is a target in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
Trump said on Truth Social that he received a target letter on Sunday from the DOJ, adding that getting such a letter “almost always means an arrest and indictment.”
And Trump may be right about an impending indictment if this target letter is real. Target letters are official correspondence from the DOJ that usually spell out suspected crimes that a person could be charged for.
Trump, for his part, has denied responsibility for any violence during the Capitol riot. But if an indictment in connection with the Capitol riot does go through, this will be his third time getting indicted.
Trump was first indicted in March in connection with a hush money payment to the porn star Stormy Daniels, and again in June over classified documents the FBI found during their raid of Mar-a-Lago.
Here’s a brief timeline of what’s been reported about the federal investigation into Trump’s role in the Capitol riot.
January 7, 2021: The Justice Department begins investigating the Capitol riot. Michael Sherwin, the former acting US Attorney for the District of Columbia, announces that the DOJ won’t rule out charging Trump.
March 2022: The Washington Post reports that the DOJ’s investigation, which mostly focused on individual rioters, had expanded to include the planning of Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally, where he urged his supporters to “fight like hell.” The Post also reports that officials linked to the planning and funding of the “Stop the Steal” rally were subpoenaed between January and March 2022.
May 2022: The DOJ requests a trove of documents from the National Archives and Records Administration that was given to the House panel conducting a separate investigation into January 6, per The New York Times. This batch of documents includes at least 770 pages of documents that Trump unsuccessfully claimed executive privilege over, in an attempt to prevent the January 6 House panel from viewing them.
July 26, 2022: The Post reports that the DOJ has zeroed in on Trump’s actions in its investigation of the Capitol riot and concerted efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The DOJ reviewed Trump’s phone records and interviewed witnesses in Trump’s circle, per the outlet.
Also in July 2022: Attorney General Merrick Garland confirms that he has not ruled out charging Trump.
August 17, 2022: The federal grand jury issues another subpoena to NARA requesting that a new batch of documents be handed over by the end of August, per CNN.
November 18, 2022: Garland announces that Smith will oversee the January 6 investigation, along with the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents.
December 19, 2022: The House panel investigating the Capitol riot recommends that the DOJ charge Trump with conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiracy to make false statements, obstruction of an official proceeding, and inciting an insurrection.
February 2023: High-ranking individuals in Trump’s orbit, including Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, and former Vice President Mike Pence, are issued subpoenas by Smith to testify before a grand jury and provide documents to investigators.
March 2023: Trump lawyers try, unsuccessfully, to block the testimonies of Meadows and other aides, citing executive privilege, per ABC. An appeals court later upholds this ruling in April. Meadows and other Trump staffers, including Stephen Miller and former Department of Homeland Security official Ken Cuccinelli, are ordered to testify to the grand jury.
July 2023: Trump takes to Truth Social to talk about receiving a target letter, and says he might be arrested and indicted again.