Exclusive: Trump Lawyers Seek Settlement With Justice Over Capitol Investigation

The conversations try to understand whether Trump would be able to protect the conversations he had while he was president from federal investigators.

In recent weeks, they have aggressively moved into Trump’s orbit, subpoenaing former White House officials. Investigators want to understand Trump’s team’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and are looking to find which lawyers helped him in those efforts.

Discussions take place between the former president’s team and the US attorney’s office in Washington, which is in charge of the investigation, and his top prosecutor, Thomas Windom, the sources said.

The conversations had not previously been reported.

At this stage, negotiations are focused on understanding whether any communications that witnesses linked to Trump’s office had with the former president can be held in a federal criminal grand jury under allegations of the Republican’s executive privilege.

The Justice Department anticipates a possible court fight with Trump over executive privileges.

The issue arose when grand jury subpoenas were issued to two former employees of the White House attorney’s office and the chief adviser and chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump’s legal defense team has already warned him that charges are possible, sources told CNN .

Some members of Trump’s legal team have discussed his possible defense strategies on at least two occasions in recent months, according to two interlocutors, as they prepare for further developments in the Justice Department investigation and a separate investigation conducted by Georgia officials. about Trump’s potentially criminal interference in the state’s 2020 election results.

Trump has questioned his lawyers if they truly believe he will face formal charges, one of the sources reported. The former president, however, expresses a strong dose of skepticism that he will be indicted, added a person familiar with the matter.

Another source close to the former president told CNN that Trump also asked members of his inner circle about a possible indictment, some of whom believe the president is concerned about the possibility of federal charges.

But a person close to Trump said he is noticeably more engaged when he is talking to friends and advisers about the 2022 election and his possible 2024 presidential campaign than during briefings on his legal strategy.

That person described the former president as dismissive in conversations about his legal troubles, often repeating his “witch hunt” mantra while claiming that the various investigations he faces are clearly driven by political opponents.

A spokesperson for Trump said in a statement to CNN that: “there is clearly a concerted effort to undermine vital and constitutionally ingrained executive privileges and the attorney-client relationship through partisan political persecution”.

“How can any future president have private conversations with his lawyers, directors and other senior directors if that director is forced, during or after the presidency, in front of an unselected committee or by another entity, to reveal these privileged and confidential discussions? ” asked the spokesperson.

“President Trump will not be deterred by a witch hunt or a kangaroo court — expression used for a court that ignores the law or justice — to continue defending and fighting for America, for our Constitution and the Truth”.

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Mark Meadows could be a key witness

In recent months, the former president has ignored advice from some of his aides to avoid speaking to former and current aides who were involved in the House select committee’s investigation into the Jan. told people familiar with the matter to CNN .

Trump was specifically advised to cut contact with his former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, whose actions on the day of the Capitol insurrection were deeply scrutinized by the House panel.

Two of Meadows’ former top advisers, Cassidy Hutchinson and Alyssa Farah Griffin, were also highly critical of Trump, with Hutchinson giving damaging details about the former president’s actions on Jan. 6 during his public testimony before the House panel in June.

Hutchinson is also cooperating in the Justice Department’s investigation.

Some of Trump’s lawyers believe Meadows may also be in the crosshairs of investigators and are concerned that he could become a witness if pressured to cooperate in the investigation, two interlocutors pointed out.

In response, Meadows’ attorney, George Terwilliger, told CNN on Thursday: “All this is idle and uninformed speculation, apparently from people who know little but talk a lot.”

Former White House attorney Ty Cobb said Meadows is “perfectly positioned to be the John Dean of this mess,” referring to Richard Nixon’s former aide who offered crucial public testimony during the Watergate hearings.

“The reason why [Meadows] is valuable is also the reason he is in danger: he was basically in Trump’s right hand during all of these exercises and he participated in important meetings and phone calls,” explained Cobb.

However, according to a source familiar with their relationship, Trump and Meadows have spoken several times. Another source close to Trump described the relationship as “not the same as it was before” compared to their time in the White House, but insisted they still maintain a relationship, even as Trump complained about Meadows in his recent conversations with other allies.

Meadows is known for attending fundraisers and events at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he also helped organize a donor retreat this past April for the Conservative Partners Institute. , a group he runs with former Republican senator Jim De Mint.

Trump’s endorsement of US Senate candidate Ted Budd “was the last time Meadows was really around the former president. Since then, he has never been a big part of the political operation or thought process. [de Trump],” said a second source close to Trump.

*Pamela Brown and Zachary Cohen of CNN contributed to this report

Source: CNN Brasil

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