VOA新闻杂志2023--Trump Says He Is a Target of January 6 Investigation

Former U.S. President Donald Trump¹ said Tuesday that he received a letter saying that he is a target of the investigation² into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Trump wrote on the website Truth Social that special counsel Jack³ Smith sent the letter on Sunday. He said the letter stated, "that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation." The former president added the special counsel gave him "4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment⁴."

Trump said he received the letter while he was with his family late Sunday. In U.S. federal investigations⁵, targets are usually given a chance to testify before a grand jury before government lawyers seek an indictment. The letter is often used to advise individuals that they have evidence linking them to a crime. Trump received such a letter before being charged last month in a separate investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.

The office of special counsel Jack Smith did not comment. Smith's office is leading the investigation. The administration of President Joe Biden said any questions about the case should go to the Department of Justice.

A grand jury in Washington, D.C., has heard testimony⁶ from several former Trump administration officials as part of the 2020 election investigation. The officials include former Vice⁷ President Mike Pence, former chief of staff Mark Meadows and White House counsel Pat Cipollone.

The investigation has centered on actions by Trump and his allies in the days leading up to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Trump's supporters attacked and occupied the Capitol. The unrest temporarily stopped members of Congress from counting electoral votes that confirmed Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election held on November 3. More than 1,000 people accused of taking part in the riot have been charged.

The investigation also is examining attempts by Trump and his allies to dispute the election. This included the use of what some people have called "fake electors" in states won by Biden and disputed by Trump.

Trump has denied wrongdoing. He did so again in his Tuesday post, writing, "Under the United States Constitution, I have the right to protest an Election that I am fully⁸ convinced was Rigged and Stolen, just as the Democrats⁹ have done against me in 2016, and many others have done over the ages."

Trump is currently the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination¹⁰. Several Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Jim Jordan, the House Judiciary Committee chair, have defended Trump.

But his opponents for the nomination were less supportive. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Trump "should've come out more forcefully," on January 6. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said, "Donald Trump's actions on January 6 should disqualify him from ever being President again." And former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley warned: "the rest of this primary election is going to be in reference to Trump, it's gonna be about lawsuits¹¹, it's gonna be about legal fees, it's gonna be about judges, and it is just going to continue to be a further and further distraction¹²."

In his post, Trump wrote: "they have now effectively indicted¹³ me three times...with a probably fourth coming from Atlanta."

The former president is currently facing 37 federal charges accusing him of illegally retaining hundreds of classified documents at his Florida home.

In the state of New York, Trump faces state criminal charges accusing him of falsifying business records. The charges came after an investigation into payments to an adult movie performer during his 2016 presidential campaign.

And government lawyers in Georgia are carrying out a separate investigation into efforts by Trump to dispute his election loss in that state. Officials in Fulton County have signaled that charging decisions could come next month.

Words in This Story

indictment –n. a document officially brining charges against someone or some group in a court of law under the rule of law

testify –v. to give evidence to a court or before lawmakers

grand jury –n. a jury that looks at evidence to decide if charges should be brought against a person or persons

convinced –adj. to be sure that something is real or that something happened

rig –v. to control or affect in a dishonest way

gonna –cont. ‘going to'

distraction –n. something that makes it hard to think or pay attention

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

4 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

5 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

6 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

11 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

12 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

13 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。