Trump wants to peek into Jack Smith's investigation to see if it contains shocks for him: report

Donald Trump badly wants to peek into special counsel Jack Smith's investigation of his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The former president's lawyers and advisers are trying to find out whether investigators have evidence and witnesses they don't know about, and the potential charges listed in a target letter sent to Trump suggest the case is bigger than they expected, reported CNN.

The target letter listed three statutes Trump may have violated, including deprivation of rights; conspiracy to commit an offense against or defraud the United States; and tampering with a witness, according to multiple reports.

Trump's political action committee has paid legal costs for multiple witnesses, which has given his team some insight into what the special counsel knows about the case, and sources said the former president's attorneys believe they have until midnight Thursday to respond to Smith's office and say whether they have witnesses or evidence they wish to offer.

Sources said the target letter caught Trump off guard, and the ex-president's legal team has not yet formally responded to an invitation to testify before a grand jury, which he most likely will decline.

A grand jury continues to hear testimony from witnesses, including former White House aide Will Russell, who continued to work for Trump after he left office and who has already testified at least twice previously.