The investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith into the alleged refusal of former President Donald Trump to return classified documents after losing the 2020 elections is close to completion, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg.
The investigation’s findings could mean that Trump faces up to 33 years in prison if convicted. The charges that he may face include obstruction of justice, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, violations of the Espionage Act, which have a maximum sentence of 10 years, and improper handling of government documents, punishable by up to three years. These possibilities were set forth in a search warrant issued last year.
Approval from both Attorney General Merrick Garland and a federal grand jury is necessary for any charges resulting from Smith’s investigation. Smith is expected to explain his reasoning to Garland if no charges are filed, who can then decide whether to make the report public.
Trump is also subject to other investigations, including one by Atlanta-area District Attorney Fani Willis, investigating alleged attempts to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. New York Attorney General Letitia James is also conducting a civil investigation into alleged asset value misrepresentations.
Bloomberg reports that a separate special counsel is investigating Biden’s handling of classified documents, though this investigation’s details have yet to be clarified.
According to FiveThirtyEight’s data, the most recent poll conducted from May 17-24 by McLaughlin & Associates shows that Trump leads Biden with 47% support over Biden’s 43%. Trump is also ahead of Governor Ron DeSantis in polls of 2024 Republican presidential candidates, with 61% of support from GOP voters, as per a recent poll conducted during the same period.
