The Department of Justice is "on a path to charge" former President Trump, former U.S. attorney Preet Bharara told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
Driving the news: Last month, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of a special counsel, Jack Smith, to oversee the federal criminal investigations into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and handling of classified documents.
- Smith, a veteran federal prosecutor, will be tasked with prosecuting federal crimes that arise from the investigations.
What they're saying: Bharara said the Department of Justice was "loaded for bear," citing the appointment of Smith as special counsel and the creation of a legal team that includes "a number of very seasoned prosecutors" who were brought on to help determine whether DOJ has a case that can go to trial.
- "I don't think they would've left their former positions, both in government and private practice, unless there was a serious possibility that the Justice Department was on a path to charge. And I think it'll happen in a month," he added.
- "When you're charging somebody in maybe the highest-stakes trial, in some ways, in history, because it's the former president of the United States, you've got to have all your ducks in a row."
- "You want to have proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and you want to have a strong case. I think you want to have an exceptionally strong case," given how heavily politicized the context surrounding the case would be, Bharara said.
- "To show not just the jury in the case but the public at large that it was a righteous case, it was a meritorious case, and you have the goods."
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