With an announcement imminent from Donald Trump that he intends to launch a presidential bid, Justice Department officials have been discussing the need to appoint a special counsel to run two federal investigations into the former president, sources told CNN.
The Justice Department is also recruiting experienced prosecutors to beef up its investigative teams in preparation for a Trump announcement after the midterms, including considering indicting the former president, the news outlet reported.
Sources close to Trump’s inner circle said on Friday that Trump intends to announce his 2024 campaign on November 14.
The Justice Department has not made any recent major moves in its investigations into Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and his alleged storage of classified materials at his Mar-a-Lago residence, preferring to stay quite in the weeks before the midterm elections. But post-elections, DOJ investigations are preparing to ramp up both investigations, including the possibility of indicting Trump associates.
In order to avoid the appearance that the White House was involved in indicting a rival presidential candidate, the DOJ is considering using a special counsel to protect itself from the charges of politicizing the investigations.
The decision to indict Trump will fall to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
In March, Garland refused to answer a question from CNN about appointing a special counsel.
“What we will avoid and what we must avoid is any partisan element of our decision making about cases,” Garland said. “That is what I’m intent on ensuring that the Department decisions are made on the merits, and that they’re made on the facts and the law, and they’re not based on any kind of partisan considerations.”
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)