Trump says he is a target of January 6 federal investigation

Former US President Donald Trump has said that he has been informed by authorities that he is a target in a federal United States investigation into the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot – the latest legal woe that he would be facing as he campaigns for the White House again in 2024.

Trump said in a statement on Tuesday that he received a letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith on Sunday asking him to report to a grand jury – an investigative panel – in four days, “which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment”.

Federal authorities have not confirmed Trump’s account. Smith’s office declined to comment on the former president’s claims when reached by Al Jazeera.

Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 to prevent the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory. Trump had been falsely claiming that he lost the 2020 vote due to widespread election fraud.

Late last year, a congressional panel investigating the attack recommended criminal charges against Trump.

Trump, who is comfortably leading the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to public opinion polls, was charged by federal prosecutors last month over accusations of mishandling classified documents.

He was also charged in New York earlier this year for allegedly falsifying business records. Those state-level charges came in relation to a hush money payment made to a porn star ahead of the 2016 elections.

Trump denies wrongdoing in all the cases, claiming that he is being targeted politically. Criminal charges do not prevent Trump from running for president or serving a second term in the White House.

On Tuesday, he called Smith “deranged”, renewing his attack on the prosecutor who is leading all federal investigations into the former president.

“Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before, or even close,” he said in Tuesday’s statement.

Legal issues do not appear to be affecting Trump’s popularity amongst Republican voters so far. In fact, he saw a boost in his poll numbers following the previous indictments.