Former President Donald Trump said his lawyers have met with Justice Department officials Thursday, saying "no indication of notice" was given during the meeting, despite some reports saying his lawyers were told to expect an indictment.
After Thursday's meeting Trump said his lawyers have warned that any potential indictment would "further destroy our country," telling his supporters to "not trust the fake news on anything."
"My attorneys had a productive meeting with the DOJ this morning, explaining in detail that I did nothing wrong, was advised by many lawyers, and that an indictment of me would only further destroy our country," Trump posted on Truth Social. "No indication of notice was given during the meeting — do not trust the fake news on anything!"
The report stemmed for NBC News claiming Trump's attorneys have been told to expect an indictment under the federal investigation into efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat.
The report did not say when to expect the indictment, but it reportedly will not come Thursday.
"JUST IN: A deputy clerk at US Dist Court in DC says no indictments were returned today and none are expected for remainder of the day," according to a tweet from a Politico reporter.
Special counsel Jack Smith is investigating actions by Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, to challenge Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.
Officials have testified that during his final months in office, Trump pressured them with claims of widespread voter fraud. The U.S. Capitol was stormed on Jan. 6, 2021, effectively stopping constitutionally protected congressional debate on the certification of Biden's Electoral College votes in key battleground states where election irregularities were reported.
Trump said July 18 he had received a letter from Smith stating he was a target of the probe.
Several U.S. news outlets reported that Trump's lawyers had arrived at a Justice Department building and were meeting with officials in Smith's office.
It is not uncommon for defense attorneys to meet with federal prosecutors before an indictment.
Trump is already the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges, which he has sought to portray as a politically motivated witch hunt.
Any indictment in the election case would represent a second round of federal charges from Smith, who was appointed in November by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Trump's attorneys previously met with officials at the Justice Department, including Smith, before a grand jury in Miami indicted Trump in June.
Trump pleaded not guilty in Miami to a 37-count indictment charging him with unlawfully retaining classified government documents after leaving office in 2021 and obstructing justice. Prosecutors accused him of risking some of the most sensitive U.S. national security secrets.
The first charges brought against Trump came in March when a grand jury convened by Manhattan's district attorney indicted him. Trump in April pleaded not guilty to 34 charges accusing him of falsifying business records concerning a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to buy her silence about a sexual encounter she said she had with him.
Trump, 77, leads a crowded field of Republican presidential candidates as he seeks a rematch with Biden, 80, next year.
Information from Reuters was used throughout this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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