Trump’s lawyers meet with Justice Department officials following complaints about special counsel probe

CNN

By Evan Perez, Hannah Rabinowitz, Katelyn Polantz and Casey Gannon, CNN

(CNN) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump are meeting with Justice Department officials on Monday following a public request for a meeting about what they characterize as prosecutorial misconduct, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The meeting comes as the special counsel’s investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents and possible obstruction appears to be nearing its final stages.

While Trump’s team had publicly asked to meet with Attorney General Merrick Garland, he is not believed to be in the meeting.

CBS News first reported the meeting and tweeted out an image of one of the attorneys entering the Justice Department headquarters.

A grand jury is expected to hear testimony this week from another witness in the classified documents probe at the federal courthouse in Washington, DC, according to one source.

This is the first known sign of activity from the grand jury primarily hearing the classified documents case in a month. A CNN reporter last observed the grand jury meeting on May 5.

In requesting the meeting last month, Trump attorneys John Rowley and James Trusty wrote in a letter to Garland posted on Trump’s social media platform that “no President of the United States has ever, in the history of our country, been baselessly investigated in such an outrageous and unlawful fashion.”

The DOJ’s documents and obstruction probe into the former president is being handled by special counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by Garland last year and is operating independently.

Defense attorneys sometimes meet with prosecutors when a charging decision is imminent. But sources familiar with the probes previously told CNN that Smith has not informed Trump’s attorneys that he is close to such a decision.

It remains to be seen whether Smith has interviewed Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, a potentially key witness, and it is unclear when Smith might release his findings in a final report to Garland or decides on any charges.

This story has been updated with additional background information.

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