Special counsel Jack Smith, the investigator behind the indictments filed against former President Donald Trump on charges related to his handling of classified documents, is now threatening to charge a Trump Organization employee with perjury, according to sources said to be familiar with the investigation.
The sources, who were not named, told ABC News that Smith has sent a target letter to the staffer indicating that he allegedly lied to investigators during an appearance in May before a federal grand jury hearing evidence in the Trump case.
The target letter, which was not obtained or reviewed by ABC, reportedly signals Smith's interest in how the Trump Organization has handled surveillance footage, as well as his alleged efforts to resist sharing the information with the investigators.
Smith sent a similar target letter, which puts the recipient on notice that they face a possible indictment, to Trump before he was indicted on 37 counts related to the documents being kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Smith's office declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.
The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has called for his trial to be postponed until after the 2024 election.
ABC News reached the employee Thursday, who declined to answer questions about receiving a possible target letter and his talks with investigators, except to comment that "it's none of your business."
Attorney Stanley Woodward, who has represented the employee and several other Trump advisers, also declined to comment.
Smith's investigators are also interested in learning about conversations the employee had with other Trump Organization employees, reported ABC News. This includes Trump aide and valet Walt Nauta, who was indicted in June and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Trump Organization insists that no surveillance footage was deleted or destroyed, according to sources said to be familiar with the matter.
ABC said its sources reported that the government is not taking a position that the footage was destroyed but is focusing on possible efforts to obstruct the investigation into Trump.
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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