Mr Trump\u2019s lawyers met with prosecutors on Monday in a last-ditch attempt to avoid an indictment<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former president Donald Trump on Monday suggested he will soon face criminal charges in the long-running federal probe into his alleged unlawful retention of national defence information at his Palm Beach, Florida property.
Writing on his Truth Social website, Mr Trump asked how the Department of Justice could \u201cpossibly charge\u201d him for having hoarded classified documents at his home and office when similarly classified documents have been found at locations linked to other prominent figures, including President Joe Biden.
He also suggested he should not face charges because his 2016 election opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was not indicted for having received emails containing information later deemed to have been classified on a private email service she used during her time in government service.
\u201cHOW CAN DOJ POSSIBLY CHARGE ME, WHO DID NOTHING WRONG, WHEN NO OTHER PRESIDENT\u2019S WERE CHARGED, WHEN JOE BIDEN WON\u2019T BE CHARGED FOR ANYTHING, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT HE HAS 1,850 BOXES, MUCH OF IT CLASSIFIED, AND SOME DATING BACK TO HIS SENATE DAY WHEN EVEN DEMOCRAT SENATORS ARE SHOCKED,\u201d he said, writing in all capital letters for emphasis.
\u201cALSO, PRESIDENT CLINTON HAD DOCUMENTS, AND WON IN COURT. CROOKED HILLARY DELETED 33,000 EMAILS, MANY CLASSIFIED, AND WASN\u2019T EVEN CLOSE TO BEING CHARGED!\u201d
He added that \u201conly Trump\u201d is facing potential charges for unlawful retention of classified documents and called the probe \u201cthe greatest witch hunt of all time\u201d.
The ex-president\u2019s irate social media post came as his attorneys wrapped a meeting with Department of Justice officials in Washington.
Last month, Mr Trump\u2019s legal team sent Attorney General Merck Garland a letter demanding an opportunity to meet with him regarding what they described as \u201cunfair treatment\u201d of the former president at the hands of Jack Smith, the special prosecutor Mr Garland named to oversee the documents probe late last year.
According to the New York Times, the two-hour session did not include Mr Garland or his deputy, Lisa Monaco. It was also unclear what Mr Trump\u2019s attorneys \u2014 James Trusty, John Rowley, and Lindsey Halligan \u2014 discussed with prosecutors.
But experts say such meetings between defence attorneys and prosecutors represent a common final step before prosecutors seek indictments against targets of federal investigations.
A Washington DC grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the documents case is reportedly set to meet this week.
Mr Trump\u2019s legal team met with Mr Smith and other Department of Justice officials on Monday \u2013 two weeks after they requested a meeting to discuss the special counsel\u2019s investigations into Mr Trump, according to The Times. Advisers of Mr Trump reportedly believe there\u2019s not much that can be done at this point to avoid the former president being charged.
Attorney Tim Parlatore resigned from Mr Trump\u2019s legal team last month. He told the paper that the ex-president\u2019s lawyers have been concerned for quite some time about the way that the prosecutors working for Mr Smith have carried out the investigation into the classified documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n