The search warrant, which was unsealed and made public in response to a motion by the Justice Department, listed three criminal laws as the basis of the investigation, including a possible violation of the Espionage Act. The World War I-era law criminalises the unauthorised retention or disclosure of information related to national defence that could be used to harm the United States or aid a foreign adversary.
The affidavit used to justify the search had not been made public. The Justice Department has objected to such a move, saying its release would "compromise future investigative steps" and "likely chill" cooperation with witnesses.
In January, Trump returned 15 boxes of material to the National Archives. When archivists examined the material, they found many pages of documents with classified markings and referred the matter to the Justice Department, which began an investigation.
In the spring, the Justice Department issued a subpoena to Trump seeking additional documents that the agency believed may have been in his possession. A small group of federal agents also made a visit to Mar-a-Lago to seek out more information about classified documents that might have been stored there.
- The New York Times
Georgia election interference case
Fani Willis, the Atlanta-area district attorney, has been leading a wide-ranging criminal investigation into the efforts of Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.
Trump and his associates had numerous interactions with Georgia officials after the election, including a phone call in which Trump urged the secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to "find 11,780 votes." Willis has also homed in on a plot by Trump allies to send fake Georgia electors to Washington and on misstatements about the election results made before the state Legislature by Rudy Giuliani, who spearheaded efforts to keep Trump in power as his personal lawyer.
The inquiry appears to be targeting multiple defendants with charges of conspiracy to commit election fraud or racketeering-related charges for engaging in a coordinated scheme to undermine the election.
Giuliani has been told that he is a target of the investigation. Willis' office has also told some state officials and pro-Trump "alternate electors" that they could be indicted.
- Annie Karni and Ed Shanahan
January 6 investigations
The House committee investigating the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, has used eight public hearings to lay out a detailed narrative of Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The panel, which is promising more evidence and hearings in the fall, has no power to prosecute but is weighing the largely symbolic step of making a criminal referral to the Justice Department.
The Justice Department is also conducting its own criminal investigation into the Jan. 6 attack, with lawyers questioning witnesses directly before a grand jury about the actions of Trump and some of his top advisers. Federal prosecutors have asked witnesses about Trump's involvement in efforts to reverse his election loss.
Prosecutors have been particularly interested in the so-called fake electors plan pursued by Trump and his allies, in which his supporters in key battleground states presented themselves as alternate slates of electors, hoping to delay or block the Electoral College certification of Joe Biden's victory.
- Annie Karni
New York State civil inquiry
Letitia James, the New York attorney general, has been conducting a civil investigation into whether Trump and his family business, the Trump Organisation, fraudulently inflated the value of his hotels, golf courses and other assets to obtain favourable loans.
Trump was deposed by lawyers from James' office as part of the inquiry, but he declined to answer their questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The former president's adult children — Ivanka, Donald Jr. and Eric — have also been deposed in the case.
Because James' investigation is civil, she can sue Donald Trump, but she cannot file criminal charges. She could also opt to pursue settlement negotiations in hopes of obtaining a swifter financial payout rather than file a lawsuit that would undoubtedly take years to resolve.
- Ed Shanahan
Manhattan criminal case
Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, has been conducting a criminal investigation into whether Trump or his family business intentionally submitted false property values to potential lenders.
The inquiry faded from view after signs emerged suggesting that Trump was unlikely to be indicted. But Bragg said in April that the investigation, which began under his predecessor, Cyrus Vance, was continuing, although he did not offer a clear sense of its direction.
Bragg's comments came after two prosecutors who had been leading the investigation left the office. One of them, Mark Pomerantz, said in a resignation letter published by The New York Times that he believed the office had enough evidence to charge Trump with "numerous" felonies. Pomerantz said that Bragg's decision was "contrary to the public interest."
The investigation has yielded criminal charges against the Trump Organisation and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. Weisselberg, who was indicted on tax charges, is nearing a plea deal with prosecutors but is not expected to cooperate with a broader investigation of Trump.
- Ed Shanahan
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: The New York Times
Photographs by: Haiyun Jiang
© 2022 THE NEW YORK TIMES
