(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump’s legal team has been notified by the Justice Department that the former US president is a target in a federal investigation into the handling of classified documents, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Prosecutors have been building a case that includes testimony from former aides, including Trump’s former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, according to another person familiar.
Meadows is one of several people close to Trump who have testified to federal grand juries in Washington and Miami for Special Counsel Jack Smith’s documents probe and a separate investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential proceedings.
Attorneys for Trump didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Earlier: Ex-Trump Aide Testifies to Special Counsel Grand Jury in Miami
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform earlier Wednesday that “no one has told me I’m being indicted, and I shouldn’t be because I’ve done NOTHING wrong.”
The developments indicate that Smith may be close to bringing charges against the former president. The letter to Trump’s attorneys saying he is a target was reported earlier by the Guardian.
The Justice Department is required to notify individuals if they are a target of an investigation. The department’s manual for prosecutors explains that someone is a target when there is “substantial evidence linking him or her to the commission of a crime” and they’re a potential defendant in a future indictment.
--With assistance from Mark Niquette.
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
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