WASHINGTON — The federal grand jury that returned an indictment against former President Donald Trump last week was meeting again in the Washington, D.C. courthouse Tuesday — an indication that special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into alleged 2020 election interference is far from over.
Multiple members of the grand jury were seen in the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in the late morning while apparently taking a break before returning to the area where the grand jury meets. It was not clear whether they were hearing testimony from witnesses. They departed the courthouse around 1:30 p.m. ET.
The four-count indictment accusing Trump of using “unlawful means” to try to stay in power alleged that he carried out his schemes with help of six co-conspirators – four attorneys, a Justice Department official and a political consultant.
Aug. 6, 202301:35
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and maintains the probe is part of a Democratic “witch hunt” against him.
While the alleged co-conspirators aren’t named in the indictment, NBC News has been able to identify five of the six based on details in the court filing and transcripts of testimony to the Jan. 6 Committee and other records. The five appear to be former New York City Mayor and longtime Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani; lawyers John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, architects of the so-called “fake electors scheme“; attorney Sidney Powell, who helped lead Trump’s post-campaign legal efforts and promoted conspiracy theories; and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, who tried to put the weight of the DOJ behind Trump’s debunked fraud claims.
Attorneys for Giuliani and Eastman have acknowledged their clients appear to be identified as co-conspirators and have denied they did anything illegal.
Representatives for Powell, Clark and Chesebro have not responded to requests for comment.
On Monday, Smith’s team interviewed former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik in connection with the election probe.
The interview lasted for about five hours, and largely focused on the work Kerik performed investigating voter fraud allegations on behalf of his longtime friend and former boss Giuliani’s efforts, Kerik lawyer Timothy Parlatore said Monday.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
