Former US attorney predicts DOJ ‘on a path’ to charge Trump

Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara on Sunday predicted the Department of Justice (DOJ) is “on a path” to charge former President Trump.

In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd, Bharara said a special counsel legal team formed to investigate two criminal cases against Trump includes “very seasoned prosecutors” who were recruited, in part, to determine if a case can be tried in court.

“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,” said Bharara. “And I think it’ll happen in a month.”

The DOJ last month named veteran prosecutor Jack Smith as special counsel to investigate a case against Trump involving his actions around the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The counsel is also probing the former president’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, including those found during a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate, which some experts have said is the most likely case to head to trial.

Bharara, who formerly worked with the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York, on Sunday said prosecutors “generally do not proceed unless you have a great likelihood of success.”

He said any criminal case against Trump would be heavily politicized and historic, so the DOJ has to “have all your ducks in a row.”

“I think you want to have an exceptionally strong case,” 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.”