Lawyers for former President Donald Trump met with Justice Department officials on Monday as a decision nears on whether to bring charges over the handling of classified documents at the former president’s Florida estate.
Following the closed-door sitdown, experts began to openly speculate that Trump may be trying to strike a last-minute deal with the Department of Justice to avoid a looming indictment in his classified documents case.
The Trump lawyers two weeks ago requested a meeting with Attorney General Merrick Garland to raise concerns about what they alleged was prosecutorial misconduct and overreach by the team led by special counsel Jack Smith.
But a defense attorney meeting with Justice Department officials is also often used as an opportunity to try to persuade them against bringing criminal charges.
A trio of Trump attorneys — James Trusty, John Rowley and Lindsey Halligan — exited the Justice Department building in Washington on Monday morning after more than an hour inside. They got into a black sport utility vehicle and did not respond to reporters’ questions.
👇👇👇2 hours. consistent w/ a genuine discussion and DOJ now chewing something over; also consistent w/ a no deal. the next few days will reveal which it was. https://t.co/4r7oFiNXzv
— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) June 5, 2023
It was not immediately clear who from the Justice Department attended the meeting. Spokespeople for Smith and the Justice Department had no immediate comment on the meeting.
There were hints that no deal was reached between the DOJ and Trump’s lawyers. After the meeting ended, an angry Trump posted on his Truth Social platform in capital letters —
HOW CAN DOJ POSSIBLY CHARGE ME, WHO DID NOTHING WRONG, WHEN NO OTHER PRESIDENT’S WERE CHARGED, WHEN JOE BIDEN WON’T BE CHARGED FOR ANYTHING, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT HE HAS 1,850 BOXES, MUCH OF IT CLASSIFIED, AND SOME DATING BACK TO HIS SENATE DAY WHEN EVEN DEMOCRAT SENATORS ARE SHOCKED. ALSO, PRESIDENT CLINTON HAD DOCUMENTS, AND WON IN COURT. CROOKED HILLARY DELETED 33,000 EMAILS, MANY CLASSIFIED, AND WASN’T EVEN CLOSE TO BEING CHARGED! ONLY TRUMP – THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!
The investigation into the potential mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago is believed to be near its end, with a charging decision likely soon. Prosecutors have placed a broad cross-section of witnesses, including lawyers for Trump and close aides, before a grand jury.
Besides the Mar-a-Lago investigation, Smith is leading a separate probe into efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election.
It’s not clear when or if charges might be brought.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article