WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury deciding to indict Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election will convene Thursday and hear testimony from an aide who was with the former president for much of the day on January 6, 2021.
William Russell, a former White House aide who now works for Trump’s presidential campaign, is scheduled to testify before the grand jury convened by special counsel Jack Smith. Russell previously testified before the grand jury that he is investigating the January 6 riots and efforts to «interfere with the lawful transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election.»
Trump, who said this week he received a letter of assignment giving him until Thursday to testify before the grand jury, is not expected to appear in federal court in Washington.
Trump’s target letter mentioned three specific federal statutes related to disenfranchisement, conspiracy to defraud the US and witness tampering, said two attorneys with direct knowledge of the document.
The grand jury has already heard testimony from dozens of witnesses in the sweeping investigation.
Smith’s team appears to be targeting a so-called fake voter scheme that involved fake voter lists: Trump allies who wrongly claimed he had won battleground states where President Joe Biden emerged victorious.
Smith also requested security video from a polling place in Georgia, suggesting an interest in some of the bogus conspiracy theories Trump and his team spread about black poll workers in a state Biden won.
Smith, who delivered a grand jury indictment against Trump last month in connection with his handling of classified documents, was appointed in November, shortly after Trump announced his 2024 presidential bid.