Grand jury investigating Jan. 6 expected to hear from former Trump aide

The grand jury investigating the Capitol attacks on Jan. 6, 2021, and former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election is reportedly expected to hear from a former aide to Trump.

Multiple outlets have reported that former Trump aide Will Russell is expected to appear Thursday before the grand jury in Washington. Russell, who was reportedly with Trump on Jan. 6, was previously sought by the FBI for an interview and subpoenaed by the grand jury last year.

Russell served in the White House as a special assistant to the former president and the deputy director of presidential advance operations. He also continued working with Trump after he left office.

Trump revealed earlier this week that special counsel Jack Smith informed him Sunday he was a target of the investigation looking into the efforts to overturn the 2020 election, a signal that Trump’s third indictment this year could be coming soon.

The grand jury is expected to meet Thursday, which is also the deadline for Trump to appear before the grand jury, which he is not expected to do.

Other former White House aides to Trump have already appeared before the grand jury, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and former communications aide Hope Hicks.

---

More from The Hill

• Cook shifts Boebert race to ‘toss-up’
• DeSantis backs Tuberville’s military holds
• McConaughey launches new initiative to help schools get post-Uvalde safety grants

---

In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump said receiving the target letter “almost always means an arrest and indictment.”

If indicted, this would be the second set of federal charges brought against Trump.

Last month, he pleaded not guilty to 37 counts in connection with documents found at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, including mishandling classified material and obstructing federal investigators.

Earlier this year, Trump also pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York over hush-money payments made to cover up an alleged affair.