Donald Trump's Legal Team Coordinates with Justice Department on Jan.6 Investigation, Proving Federal Criminal Probe's Progress

According to a source, Donald Trump's attorneys are meeting with Justice Department officials, indicating that a federal criminal investigation into the former president's participation in the Capitol riots is moving forward.

The negotiations with the US Attorney's office in Washington, DC, and lead Jan. 6 prosecutor Thomas Windom have centered on whether Trump may utilize executive privilege to prohibit conversations he had while in the White House.

Donald Trump's Legal Team in Contact With Justice Department

The Justice Department allegedly declined to comment while Trump's staff dismissed the idea that the discussions might be used to indict him. The legal conversations were reported after investigators summoned several former White House officials in recent weeks while investigating lawyers engaged in the administration's bid to alter the outcome of the 2020 election.

According to the network, Trump, 76, believes he will not face charges in connection with the rebellion but has interrogated his attorneys and members about possible prosecution. The possible 2024 contender is claimed to have lately defied recommendations to avoid communicating to past and present aides who are embroiled in the select House committee's inquiry into the riots and might face criminal charges.

Trump's advisers are believed to be especially anxious about cutting off the connection between the Republican and his former chief of staff Mark Meadows, who has been intensively investigated by the Congressional panel, while his former assistant Cassidy Hutchinson cooperates with the DOJ. According to the story, Trump and Meadows had talked several times although their friendship has lately deteriorated, New York Post reported.

Trump's political team issued a statement condemning the Justice Department's actions, claiming that there is a clear coordinated effort to undermine the vital, Constitutionally-based Executive and Attorney-Client Privileges. He referred to the Justice Department's investigation and other inquiries partisan as political persecution.

CNN was the first to report on discussions about whether Trump might be able to disguise conversations he made while president from federal investigators.

Pat Cipollone Subpoenaed by Grand Jury

Should the Justice Department request information on Trump's conversations with advisers and members of the White House Counsel's Office, Trump is anticipated to invoke executive privilege. A federal grand jury probing the Capitol attack and the drive to overturn the 2020 election has subpoenaed former White House lawyer Pat Cipollone, a source familiar with the case said earlier this week.

The Justice Department's move against Cipollone followed his testimony last month before a House committee in its separate investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack. As protesters stormed the Capitol, Cipollone pushed then-President Donald Trump to intercede and backed Justice Department employees who refused Trump's requests to investigate phony charges of election fraud.

The Justice Department has refused to comment on the subpoenas or any interaction with Trump's legal team. Cipollone is the most senior known member of Trump's White House to have been brought before a grand jury, which is a key milestone in the federal probe.

Former Vice President Mike Pence's top advisers, including Chief of Staff Marc Short, has already testified before the grand jury. Trump is dealing with more than just the Justice Department investigation. He is the subject of a separate criminal investigation in Georgia, where an Atlanta-area prosecutor is heading an investigation into election meddling.

Trump's January 2021 call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which he asked the state's top election official to find enough votes for Trump to win the state's 2020 presidential election, is included in the investigation, according to USA Today.