Washington

Former US president Donald Trump said he is most likely to get arrested again after being informed that he is the target of the Department of Justice’s investigation into his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and January 6 Capitol riots.

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In a lengthy statement shared on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said that he was notified of his impending arrest by the Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith via a letter on Sunday.

“On Sunday night, while I was with my family...HORRIFYING NEWS for our country was given to me by my attorneys,” Trump said.

“Deranged Jack Smith...sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment.”

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While speaking to Fox News during a town hall with Sean Hannity, Trump acknowledged that the slew of indictments actually 'bother' him. He said, "It bothers me for everybody – this incredible sold-out audience. It bothers you. I got the letter on Sunday night, think about it, I don’t think they ever sent a letter on Sunday night. And they are in a rush because they want to interfere. Interference with the election, It’s election interference.”

Trump also launched a scathing attack on Special Counsel Jack  Smith, who has already indicted the former president with 37 criminal counts. He said, "This guy is a deranged prosecutor who has had tremendous failures all over the place. He’s a nasty, horrible human being.”

Meanwhile, a federal court in Florida is set to hear arguments in the classified documents criminal case on Tuesday.

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Trump’s lawyers have asked that any trial in that case take place after the 2024 election. Smith’s prosecutors oppose that bid.

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Department of Justice notified Trump

Notifying subjects that they have become a target in an investigation is an ongoing practice followed by the Justice Department.

Often a notification that a person is a target is a strong indication that an indictment could follow, but it is possible that the recipient is not ultimately charged, CNN report notes.

Though notifying them isn’t mandatory, prosecutors choose to follow this convention out of their discretion. Once informed, a target has the opportunity to present evidence or testify to the grand jury if they choose.

Trump is involved in another criminal investigation by a Georgia state prosecutor for his attempt to get election officials there to reverse his loss to Biden in Georgia.

Will Trump be indicted for third time?

If Trump faces criminal charges in connection with the 2020 riots, then it would be his third criminal indictment so far this year.

He is already charged with dozens of counts of falsifying business records in New York, as well as facing a similar number of criminal counts at the federal level for his allegedly illegal retention of classified materials and other presidential records.

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In recent months, prosecutors interviewed election officials in the seven states where Trump’s team falsely claimed fraud and put forward fake electors after the 2020 election.

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Furthermore, they have focused on a chaotic December 2020 Oval Office meeting in the final days of the Trump administration, in which Trump’s advisers discussed seizing voting machines, naming a special counsel to investigate voter fraud and invoking martial law as part of the efforts to overturn the election.

(With inputs from agencies)

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