JUST IN: CNN Sources Say Jack Smith Got Trump Fake Electors To Testify — With Immunity Grants
CNN sources say Special Counsel Jack Smith has secured the testimony of at least two fake electors in the case against ex-President Donald Trump by offering them limited immunity.
Reporting teams for CNN have recently broken several scoops related to the 37-count indictment against Trump on Espionage Act charges. But on Friday, the team of Katelyn Polantz, Sara Murray, Zachary Cohen, and Casey Gannon dropped a scoop in yet another roiling Trump case being spearheaded by the special counsel.
In a brand-new exclusive, the team writes that Smith has made a deal in the election interference investigation against Trump:
Special counsel Jack Smith has compelled at least two Republican fake electors to testify to a federal grand jury in Washington in recent weeks by giving them limited immunity, part of a current push by federal prosecutors to swiftly nail down evidence in the sprawling criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The testimony, described to CNN by people familiar with the situation, comes after a year of relative dormancy around the fake electors portion of the investigation and as a parade of related witnesses are being told to appear before the grand jury with no chance for delay.
That activity could signal that investigators are nearing at least some charging decisions in a part of the 2020 election probe, sources added. It also comes just as the special counsel’s office filed charges against former President Donald Trump for his handling of classified documents.
In addition to Smith’s investigation, Trump could soon face indictments from election crimes prosecutor Fani Willis. Willis has signaled possible indictments of the former president in Fulton County’s grand jury investigation of Trump’s effort to overturn election results in Georgia, which experts believe are likely coming in August. That’s also the timeframe Trump’s documents trial is scheduled to start, although it’s likely to be delayed.
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