Former Trump administration director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe appeared before the grand jury investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection and Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, according to ABC News.
Ratcliffe joins Trump aide Steven Miller and homeland security official Ken Cuccinelli as one of a number of Trump administration officials that have been spotted at the federal court where the grand jury is held.
Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly attempted to prevent advisors like Ratcliffe from being ordered to testify, but have lost those demands.
Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is among other administration officials asked to provide further testimony.
Special Counsel Jack Smith is investigating Trump’s potential involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection and any and all attempts by Trump to overturn the 2020 election federally.
“The DOJ is continuously stepping far outside the standard norms in attempting to destroy the long accepted, long held, Constitutionally based standards of attorney-client privilege and executive privilege,” a Trump spokesman said in a statement last month.
“There is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump,” the spokesman added. ”The deranged Democrats and their comrades in the mainstream media are corrupting the legal process and weaponizing the justice system in order to manipulate public opinion, because they are clearly losing the political battle.”
Trump also faces a criminal probe in Georgia looking into allegations that Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election there.