Former President Donald Trump is almost certain to face criminal charges for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots after he received a letter this week from federal prosecutors suggesting he could soon be indicted in the ongoing investigation.
Trump took to social media to spin the letter’s contents in his favor, calling it a “target letter,” but he did not say what criminal charges, if any, that special counsel Jack Smith specified in the letter. A person briefed on the matter said the letter cited three statutes that could be applied in Trump’s prosecution, according to The New York Times.
“By leading the effort to procure fraudulent electoral certificates across the nation, Trump helmed a conspiracy to defraud the U.S.,” said Norman Eisen, who worked for the House Judiciary Committee during Mr. Trump’s first impeachment, in the Times’ story. “And by using those false documents to press Mike Pence to disrupt the Jan. 6 meeting of Congress, Trump attempted to obstruct an official proceeding.”
Retired federal Judge J. Michael Luttig, a renowned conservative legal scholar, reacted to the letter in a CNN report: “The former president has left Jack Smith no choice but to bring charges, lest the former president make a mockery of the Constitution of the United States and the Rule of Law.”
Meanwhile Tuesday, Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis was in South Carolina, becoming the first to file for next year’s presidential primary amid concerns that he needs to wake up his campaign. He also gave an interview to CNN, saying he had been “taking fire nonstop,” but was putting together the political operation he needed to win the presidency.
In other recent headlines:
Sweltering heat moves into Lowcountry amid U.S. heat wave. Dangerously high temperatures are expected over the next few days as temperatures across the Lowcountry hit the high 90s and heat indexes break above 110.
Smoky skies in S.C. to clear after days of bad air quality due to Canadian wildfires. Smoke from massive wildfires in western Canada have drifted through the upper half of South Carolina over the past few days, prompting state health officials to issue air-quality warnings. But now, the smoke appears to be clearing.
S.C. foreclosure rate among the highest in the nation. A rise in foreclosures across the U.S. is nearing pre-pandemic levels, according to real estate tracker ATTOM, and South Carolina is close to the top of the list.
Charleston County schools forced to delay opening of Montessori school. The Malcolm C. Hursey Montessori School was supposed to welcome hundreds of students to their new building on Spruill Avenue, but the building is months from being complete.
Downtown Charleston roads considered for heavy safety improvements. Safety improvements for bikers and pedestrians could soon be coming to four main roads in Downtown Charleston.
Bluffton man arrested on charges related to Jan. 6 riot, FBI says. Bluffton resident Tyler Bradley Dykes, who served prison time for intimidating protesters while wielding a torch during the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, has been arrested on new federal charges in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Community rallies to preserve rural Lowcountry island. Saint Helena Island’s decades-old zoning law banning golf carts, gated communities and resorts is still being challenged. The law is meant to protect the island’s Gullah Geechee people.
- To get dozens of South Carolina news stories every business day, contact the folks at SC Clips.
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