It’s not quite a Trump-style media circus yet in Miami, but it’s shaping up to be one.
Dozens of out-of-town reporters, photographers and TV camera crews gathered Thursday in front of the downtown federal courthouse — killing time under white tents with snacks, water and books — in hopes of getting a morsel of news from a secret grand jury convening on the seventh floor in a room next to a cafeteria, no less.
Is an indictment of former President Donald Trump looming? How soon?
Nothing was clear on Thursday afternoon but jurors are reviewing evidence in the Justice Department’s classified documents probe against Trump, who potentially could be charged as early as Friday with illegally storing classified materials at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. If he is charged — and that was still unknown — Trump could have to make a first appearance in the Miami magistrate court as early as Friday afternoon like any newly charged defendant.
The convening of the grand jury in Miami has come as a surprise to many because for months special counsel Jack Smith has been presenting evidence to grand jurors in Washington, DC.
Given the secrecy, rumors and uncertainty abound.
Will the Miami jurors indict Trump on charges of illegally storing hundreds of classified documents at his private residence and club, Mar-a-Lago, while obstructing efforts by the FBI to retrieve them? Will the Washington DC jurors separately indict Trump on charges related to inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on Capitol Hill to stop Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote before transferring power to Joe Biden?
No one seems to know at the moment, despite 24/7 coverage by the New York Times, AP and other major news organizations in recent days. Many outlets had reporters stationed in Miami.
On Thursday, media reported that federal prosecutors have informed Trump’s legal team that he is a target of their investigation into his handling of classified documents after he left office, according to two people familiar with the matter. The notification to Trump’s team by prosecutors from the office of the special counsel was the clearest signal yet that the former president is likely to face charges in the investigation.
It wasn’t quite clear on Thursday who was appearing in the Miami grand jury room on the federal courthouse’s seventh floor, which is located next door to a cafeteria appropriately called the “Constitution Cafe.” In the cafeteria, press d reporter spotted a local federal prosecutor, Matthew Thakur, heading to the grand jury room. Thakur has been detached to work on Smith’s team in the Trump documents investigation. Another local prosecutor working on Smith’s team is Karen Gilbert.
The Miami grand jury, a body of 23 members who began reviewing documents and hearing testimony last month, may have still been reviewing evidence but also could be voting on whether to indict Trump.
The previous day, media reported that the latest witness to appear before the Miami panel was Taylor Budowich, a former Trump spokesman who now runs a super PAC called MAGA. Inc. reported that Budowich and his attorney, Stanley Woodward, declined to answer questions as they arrived at the federal courthouse in downtown Miami.
The Mar-a-Lago investigation, led by Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, appears to be winding down and social media speculation has heated up that a final decision could be close on whether to indict the former president or others involved in handling the documents. Numerous media outlets reported that Trump’s lawyers met at the Justice Department in Washington on Monday with officials, including Smith, as part of an effort by the legal team to argue against a potential indictment.
The Justice Department has been tight-lipped on the investigation and it’s unclear why twin grand juries might be employed in the investigation. A spokesman for Smith declined to comment Tuesday night to Press even on the existence of a second grand jury.
But legal experts told the numerous media outlets, including the Miami Herald, that it suggests the potential for at least part of any case to be filed and prosecuted in South Florida.
The former president has been vocal about the ongoing probe on his social media site and in interviews. Trump recently called into the Todd Starnes radio show, where he confirmed the Justice Department meeting with his lawyers: “Well, I can just say this: They did go in and they saw ’em and they said very unfair. No other president has ever been charged with anything like his.’”
The investigation stems from a drawn-out dispute over accusations that the former president had mishandled classified records. Months after his departure, Trump engaged in a confrontation with the National Archives and then the FBI over releasing the classified documents — including material about a foreign country’s nuclear capabilities and military defenses — leading to the seizure of top secret documents at his private club last summer.