Trump told he is target of criminal investigation celebration dinner

Roasted mixed mushroom and ground beef Larb

Photo: Lucian K. Truscott V

We were in the kitchen making this glorious feast when my phone pinged with a notification that Politico is reporting that Donald Trump has been formally notified in a letter from federal prosecutors in the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith that he is a target of a criminal investigation. The so-called target letter is typically the final step prosecutors take before they seek an indictment of a suspect under investigation. The target letter gives the suspect the opportunity to come before the grand jury and give testimony before the indictment is brought.

The upcoming indictment is thought to be in connection with the Special Prosecutor’s probe into Trump’s theft and mishandling of classified national security documents after he left office in 2021. The Special Prosecutor in recent weeks has taken testimony from multiple people who could provide information about attempts Trump made to obstruct the investigation, a federal crime with punishment even more severe than the charges which may be brought under the Espionage Act. Taken together, Trump is thought to face prison time measured in decades if he is tried and convicted.

The other big news tonight is about the federal grand jury sitting in Florida which is considering the same charges against Trump. Legal experts say that because Trump committed many of the crimes he is being investigated for in Florida, the grand jury there may be the one to formally bring charges. The Florida crimes include obstruction of justice, lying on official documents, and concealing from the government sensitive national security documents which belong to the people of the United States. The Special Prosecutor is said to have interviewed witnesses who saw Trump showing top-secret documents to visitors in his office at Mar a Lago, and two weeks ago, the grand jury heard testimony from people working for Mark Meadows who heard from Trump himself during an interview at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, that he had kept national security documents, including plans to attack Iran.

All in all, a good night for the American people, and a very, very bad night for Donald Trump.

The recipe for roasted mushroom Larb — minus the ground beef we threw into the mix — can be found at: Roasted mushroom Larb

Here at Column HQ, we are already busy perusing menus for dinners celebrating the up-coming indictments of the kleptomaniac former president.