(Headline USA) The Justice Department is demanding testimony before a Florida grand jury in an investigation aiming to establish an intelligence community conspiracy against President Donald Trump, according to The Associated Press.
New subpoenas being issued to former government officials represent an escalation in the year-long investigation as the Justice Department pursues members of the intelligence community who targeted Trump over the last decade, including over a dubious conspiracy about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Investigators in recent days contacted some defense lawyers for witnesses advising them of forthcoming grand jury subpoenas. It was not clear how many, as of Tuesday, had received a subpoena or were still waiting to receive one, and the identities of the witnesses receiving subpoenas were also not immediately clear. The people who confirmed the subpoenas spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a secretive grand jury investigation.
The investigation has focused in large part on the Trump-Russia probe
The contours of the conspiracy investigation aren’t fully known, but agents and prosecutors over the last several months have focused intensely on the U.S. government response to Russian interference in 2016 and an intelligence community assessment that Moscow meddled on Trump’s behalf at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump, who spent much of his first term mired in Russiagate allegations, has for years disputed what he calls a “deep state” conspiracy to undermine the legitimacy of his win.
Investigators searching for potential crimes in connection with the intelligence community response have conducted numerous voluntary interviews, but the subpoenas prepared for witnesses in recent days represent an apparent effort to lock down sworn testimony before a grand jury.
It remains unclear whether anyone will be charged or for what offense, though lawyers for former CIA Director John Brennan have said they have been informed that he is a target as investigators examine whether he falsely testified to Congress — something he has repeatedly denied. The Justice Department last spring subpoenaed witnesses before a Washington grand jury as part of an investigation into Brennan, but withdrew the subpoenas in favor of voluntary interviews.
The investigation is being run out of Florida, with the Justice Department in April bringing back into government service a top prosecutor from the Reagan administration, Joe diGenova, to serve as a counselor to the attorney general and help lead a team of agents and prosecutors.
diGenova, who had previously asked then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to appoint him to the job and has openly and repeatedly claimed Trump was the victim of an intelligence community conspiracy, declined to comment Wednesday when reached by The Associated Press.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
