Trump's lawyers not 'out of the woods' in Jan. 6 probe: legal expert

A prominent legal expert said Tuesday that lawyers representing Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 election may still face legal jeopardy in connection to the special counsel’s Jan. 6 probe, even though they haven’t been notified that they’re targets of the investigation.

Former federal prosecutor Harry Litman said that although lawyers representing John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani have confirmed that the former Trump attorneys haven’t yet received target letters from the special counsel’s office, that itself doesn’t mean they’ve been cleared.

“Attorneys for Eastman, Giuliani say that their clients haven’t received target letters,” Litman tweeted.

“That’s a detail requiring an explanation, but without more I wouldn’t say it means they’re out of the woods, even though they are so asserting.”

Litman’s assertion is supported by a new The Washington Post report that indicates federal investigators have questioned witnesses over meetings Trump held in December 2020 and January 2021, including an apparent campaign to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election that involved Eastman and Giuliani.

The report notes that Eastman and Giuliani argued that Pence had the authority when Congress met to certify the Joe Biden’s election win on Jan. 6.

Perry Stein, Josh Dawsey and Jacqueline Alemany write for The Post that “Prosecutors asked witnesses about their conversations with Trump and others in his inner circle about an alleged scheme seeking to substitute Trump allies for certified electors from some states Biden won, according to two people familiar with the matter.”

“People interviewed in front of the grand jury about efforts to overturn the election have said that investigators also appear to be focusing on potential alleged wrongdoing by others close to the former president, including Eastman and Giuliani.”