President Donald Trump greeted supporters while doing a circle of the main attractions at the fair: the Iowa Pork Tent, the Animal Learning Center and Steer n' Stein. Along the way, the former president stopped and talked with reporters.

"I love it, I love the crowd, look at this crowd. It's a record crowd, it's a great honor," said Trump.

He is the only candidate on the republican side of the ticket that is not doing a "fair side" chat with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. Just last month, Trump went after Governor Reynolds on Truth Social as he was frustrated with her remaining neutral in the primary race. WHO 13 News asked the former president why he decided on not participating in that conversation.

"I didn't invite from the standpoint that when they endorse, I invite," said Trump. "...I helped the governor a lot, I wont the race for the governor, but I like the governor."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy were among the other presidential candidates that are participating in the governor's conversations. All three were at the state fairgrounds during the former president's visit.

Trump, who was just recently indicted on his actions to overturn the 2020 presidential election, had many supporters in attendance at the fair. Those supporters say the recent indictment just adds more fuel to the fire.

"Well I think I am not surprised," said Rebecca Ervin of Urbandale. "I wasn't surprised...I just wish they'd leave him alone until after...the election."

"I was even more upset. I voted every year, every four years since 1972 and I wont' miss this one. I'll vote on Election Day, paper ballot, for our president, President Trump," said Larry Ginger from Saylorville.

The event will be held at the Lauridsen Amphitheater and starts with the 'Restore the American Dream' rally. A free concert by Big & Rich will be performed after the rally at 7 p.m.

The move comes as a pending plea deal involving Biden, the president's son, appears to be unwinding.

Garland said he made the decision in the politically explosive case after Weiss asked for the appointment.

“On Tuesday of this week, Mr. Weiss advised me that in his judgment, his investigation had reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a special counsel, and he asked to be so appointed,” Garland said in a statement to the press Friday.

“Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland announces the appointment of David C. Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware, as Special Counsel in Hunter Biden Inquiry at the Justice Department in Washington D.C., on August 11, 2023.

Republicans have sharply criticized how the tax probe into Biden was handled, citing claims from two IRS whistleblowers that Weiss was blocked from seeking special counsel status — a claim Weiss and the DOJ have consistently denied.

The whistleblowers, IRS investigators Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, also claimed that the Justice Department slow-walked the case, gave Biden preferential treatment, and declined to pursue charges in other jurisdictions with stronger evidence.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has indicated it could be a ground for a possible impeachment of Garland, noting differences between the whistleblowers' testimony and Weiss and Garland’s recap of the prosecutor's authority.

Garland on Friday reiterated his prior claims that Weiss, even without special counsel status, had the authority to see prosecution for Biden in any district, a claim that the IRS investigators disputed.

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“As I said before, Mr. Weiss would be permitted to continue his investigation, take any investigative steps he wanted and make the decision whether to prosecute in any district,” Garland said.

Weiss last month denied again that he ever sought special counsel status.

Chris Clark, counsel for Hunter Biden, said in a statement that Garland’s announcement “doesn’t change our understanding of Mr. Wiess’ authority over the 5-year investigation into Mr. Biden.”

“For years, both Mr. Weiss and the Department have assured us and the public that Mr. Weiss had more authority than a special counsel and full authority to negotiate a resolution of his investigation – which has been done,” Clark said. “Whether in Delaware, Washington, D.C. or anywhere else, we expect a fair resolution not infected by politics and we’ll do what is necessary on behalf of Mr. Biden to achieve that.”

There are two statutes on the books governing such appointments and the powers associated with them, Weiss noted, including a status allowing him to file charges outside his district of Delaware. 

“To clarify an apparent misperception and to avoid future confusion, I wish to make one point clear: in this case, I have not requested Special Counsel designation pursuant to 28 CFR § 600 et seq. Rather, I had discussions with Departmental officials regarding potential appointment under 28 U.S.C. § 515, which would have allowed me to file charges in a district outside my own without the partnership of the local U.S. Attorney,” Weiss wrote in a July 10 letter.

“I was assured that I would be granted this authority if it proved necessary.”

Garland said Friday the change came at Weiss’s request, echoing his earlier testimony before Congress that Weiss would be granted any change in authority he saw necessary.

“This appointment confirms my commitment to provide Mr. Weiss all the resources he requests. It also reaffirms that Mr. Weiss has the authority he needs to conduct a thorough investigation and to continue to take the steps he deems appropriate independently based only on the facts and the law,” Garland said.

“As special counsel he will continue to have the authority and responsibility that he has previously exercised to oversee the investigation and decide where, when, and whether to file charges.” 

Meanwhile, in a court filing just moments after Garland’s announcement, the Justice Department indicated the parties had come to an impasse on reaching a plea agreement in Biden's case.

“The Government now believes that the case will not resolve short of a trial,” prosecutors wrote in court filings Friday.

Biden’s plea deal had come under scrutiny both in Congress and in court.

U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika put on hold Biden’s proposed plea agreement during a whirlwind hearing last month, telling prosecutors and Biden’s attorneys to submit in writing their responses to various concerns the judge posed.

The proposed agreement was twofold. Biden would agree to plead guilty to two tax offenses while also entering a pretrial diversion program on a gun charge, which would allow the president’s son to avoid a formal charge if he follows certain conditions.

But in a court filing Friday, the Justice Department urged the judge to set aside the written briefing deadlines.

“The Court’s briefing order is premised on the idea that the parties intend to continue towards a guilty plea in Criminal Action No. 23-mj-00274 and diversion in Criminal Action No. 23-cr-00061,” prosecutors wrote. 

“But that is no longer the case,” they continued. “Following additional negotiations after the hearing held on July 26, 2023, the parties are at an impasse and are not in agreement on either a plea agreement or a diversion agreement. Therefore, the Government believes the Court’s briefing order should be vacated.”

The judge ordered Biden’s attorneys to respond to the request by Monday.

Prosecutors also asked that the tax charge agreement be dismissed so the Justice Department can instead bring the charges in Washington, D.C., or California, where the venue would be proper for a trial.

That detail nods to testimony from the IRS whistleblowers, who said some of the strongest evidence in the case was gathered in those two locations, rather than in Delaware. 

Weiss’s elevation to special counsel is likely to fuel probes from House Republican into the foreign business dealings of President Biden’s family members. Republicans have aimed to put scrutiny on the president himself as they reveal more details of foreign payments to Hunter Biden and his associates, with McCarthy even floating an impeachment inquiry into the president surrounding issues with their investigation.

On Friday, however, top Republicans in the House portrayed Weiss’s new special counsel status as a negative development.

House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said the move was a Justice Department attempt to "stonewall congressional oversight," while a spokesperson for House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said the special counsel “can’t be trusted.” 

McCarthy said House Republicans "continue to pursue the facts for the American people."

"This action by Biden’s DOJ cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the Biden family corruption," he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn’t get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel?"

Updated at 2:20 p.m.

“Sen. Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home. All of her scans were clear and she returned home,” a spokesperson for Feinstein told The Hill.  

Feinstein, who is 90 years old, was hospitalized earlier this year for shingles, causing her to miss nearly three months of the Senate’s session in Washington.  

Her absence from the Senate delayed several of President Biden’s judicial nominees as she sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Democrats hold a narrow 11-10 majority.  

Since returning to the Senate May 10, she has regularly attended committee hearings, markups and floor votes, though she has also appeared to have occasional bouts of confusion.  

Several progressive House Democrats called on Feinstein to resign earlier this year because of the temporary holdup of judicial nominees, including Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Dean Phillips (D-Minn.).  

The New York Times editorial board called on her to resign in May if her continued absence further delayed Senate work.  

Feinstein’s Democratic colleagues in the Senate, however, had backed her continued service in the upper chamber and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) kept in close contact with her during her recovery from shingles earlier this year.  

Schumer said in a statement he spoke to Feinstein Wednesday. 

“She said she suffered no injuries and briefly went to the hospital as a precaution. I’m glad she is back home now and is doing well,” he said.

Al Weaver contributed. Updated at 12:26 p.m.

President Biden last year announced a slate of nursing home reforms and vowed staffing minimums would be among them. The new rules are still under review and could be released any day. 

"After 20 years, it'll make a huge difference to have a minimum standard — assuming that the standard is reasonable," said Charlene Harrington, a professor emeritus at the University of California at San Francisco who researches the impact of nursing home staffing on care quality.

Advocates have been calling for such a requirement for more than two decades, arguing that residents are safer and have better care with more staff, but the industry has successfully resisted.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. More than 200,000 nursing home residents and staff died from the virus, exacerbating the existing concerns and forcing federal officials into action. 

"Nursing homes were getting so much attention during COVID. And the impact on residents was getting so much attention that it really did lay bare the issues that have really been long-standing areas of concern," said Lori Smetanka, executive director of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care.

The rule has yet to be released, so it's not clear what will be proposed. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been conducting a study since last year to inform its minimum staffing proposal. 

The agency initially said it planned to release the rule in the spring. It has been under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget since May 30. 

But industry groups say any federal standard is unfeasible because of a nationwide staffing shortage made worse by the pandemic. They say it also amounts to an unfunded federal mandate because Medicaid reimbursement rates are too low. 

"This discussion of mandated staffing ratios cannot be divorced from the current reality: There are too few people available to hire," Janine Finck-Boyle, vice president of health policy at LeadingAge, which represents nonprofit nursing homes, said in a statement. 

LeadingAge doesn't specifically oppose a federal standard but wants the government to meet a very specific set of criteria before setting a minimum ratio. For instance, the group wants Medicaid to cover at least 95 percent of the cost of care, as well as federal assurances there are no long-term care workforce shortages.

Advocates contend the workforce shortage and high turnover rates can be solved by making the job more attractive with higher pay and better benefits. 

"You don't have a staff shortage, you've got a good job shortage. You have to pay these people, have to provide them support," said Mark Miller, Washington, D.C.'s, long-term care ombudsman. 

"There are people out there that want to work,” Smetanka added. “It's just right now they're not wanting to work in nursing homes." 

But the industry groups said wages aren't the only issue, and the pandemic has led to historic caregiver shortages. 

Most nursing home residents rely on Medicaid, but labor costs keep increasing, and the program only pays about 86 cents on the dollar, the American Health Care Association said. 

The group, which represents 14,000 long-term care facilities, has said nursing homes would be forced to close without any federal workforce help.

Nursing home staffing rules haven't changed since 1987, and there are no formal federal standards.

Under federal law, facilities are required to provide 24-hour licensed nursing services that are "sufficient" to meet the nursing needs of residents. Facilities must also use the services of a registered nurse at least eight consecutive hours a day, seven days a week.

The "sufficient" rule is too vague, experts and advocates said, and facilities have not been held to a high enough standard. 

A key study by CMS in 2001 found that at a minimum, facilities should provide 4.1 hours of direct care per resident per day to ensure they're safe from falls and other harms. CMS recommends nursing homes meet that level, but it's not a formal policy.  

But most U.S. nursing homes don't meet that standard, and advocates said residents are generally sicker and need more care now than 20 years ago.

Most states have their own requirements, but they're almost all lower than the federal recommendation. Only D.C. requires 4.1 hours; some are less than half that.

Miller said 60 to 70 percent of the complaints his office receives are staffing-related.

"Staffing is at the root of the issue, whether it's a care issue or a resident rights issue," Miller said.

Miller said his office is currently investigating a facility that was only giving residents water during mealtimes, because they didn't have enough staff to take people to the bathroom through the course of the day. Facilities are required to have fresh water at every residents' bedside

Miller recalled another situation where a woman tried to get up on her own to go to the bathroom because nobody was answering the call bell. She fell, and suffered an injury.

"I think that happens with staff here in the District, they are wanting to do a good job, but it's really hard and it takes a toll on you when you know you're not getting to everybody. You know when you've got 20 people to take care of and you're not responding to them as they need, that takes a moral toll," Miller said.

David Grabowski, a long-term care expert and professor of health policy at Harvard Medical School, said that reality was playing out across the country.

"Far too many nursing homes have staffed at levels that haven't been safe for residents,” he said. “So we've had a lot of unfortunate examples of facilities really putting residents' care and sometimes even their lives at risk by staffing below what a lot of experts would consider to be safe and acceptable standards."

In an interview with NBC News on Monday, DeSantis said “of course” Trump lost in 2020 and said President Biden is the legitimate president.

"Whoever puts their hand on the Bible on Jan. 20 every four years is the winner," DeSantis said.

The comments came days after Trump pleaded not guilty to charges in the Jan. 6 federal investigation.

When pressed by NBC’s Dasha Burns to give a “yes or no” answer on whether Trump lost, DeSantis responded, “No, of course he lost.” 

“Joe Biden’s the president,” he said. 

DeSantis went on to point out what he said were issues with the 2020 election, including concerns about the widespread availability of mail-in ballots, state laws that permitted third parties to collect ballots and social media platforms downplaying the story surrounding Hunter Biden’s laptop.

"I think what people in the media and elsewhere, they want to act like somehow this was just like the perfect election. ... I don’t think it was a good-run election," the governor said.  "But I also think Republicans didn’t fight back. You’ve got to fight back when that is happening."

The comments also came after the governor said in Iowa on Friday that election fraud theories about the 2020 election “did not prove to be true.”

Together, the recent remarks are some of the most aggressive the governor has made regarding Trump since launching his campaign, a development that will encourage those Republicans who have urged the governor to step up his attacks on the frontrunner.

“Reluctant Trump primary voters frustrated with the focus on the 2020 campaign may finally have a home,” said Brian Seitchik, a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign staffer. “I have believed for some time that the only way to beat Trump was not to wait for him to combust but aggressively shake his voters loose. Will it work? Who knows.” 

“This is Team DeSantis trying to draw Trump into a winner-loser conversation — a clear sore spot for the former president,” Seitchik added. 

But some Republicans say they aren’t sure DeSantis’s comments represent a clear shift. 

“I’m a little cautious about reading too much into it,” said Justin Sayfie, a Florida-based GOP strategist. “I think he was asked questions by a voter and by a journalist and he gave his answer.”

“I think that going forward if he gets asked these questions again, he can say ‘I’ve already answered it,’” Sayfie said. “I’ve got other things to talk about in terms of the future.”

Trump’s campaign spokesman Steve Cheung was quick to hit back over the comments, saying that the Florida governor “should really stop being Joe Biden’s biggest cheerleader.” 

The Florida governor’s comments also come with some political risks. A CNN poll released earlier this month found that 69 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaners polled said Biden’s 2020 win was not legitimate. That number is up from 63 percent earlier this year. 

And last month, an Associated Press-NORC poll found that only 22 percent of Republicans say they have high confidence that that votes in the 2024 election will be counted accurately. 

“What they’re telling you in that poll is that they don’t feel that it was free or fair,” said Ford O’Connell, a Florida-based Republican strategist. “If nearly three-quarters [feel that way], I don’t know how that’s going to help him.” 

But data also shows that issues other than the 2020 election take precedent for Republican voters. A Pew Research poll released in June found that 77 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents said that inflation is “a very big problem,” while “moral values,” illegal immigration and the budget deficit were also viewed as top problems for GOP voters. 

“An overwhelming majority of Republican voters are not going to base their votes in the 2024 presidential primary based on who they think won the 2020 election,” Sayfie said. “There are other issues that are much more important than that.” 

O’Connell said that DeSantis’s remarks are part of his campaign’s recent reset, an effort to gain more traction against Trump in the polls and generate headlines. 

Monday’s interview with NBC News is the latest mainstream interview DeSantis has taken part in recently after sticking with more right-leaning and local outlets following the launch of his campaign in May. 

In an email to reporters on Monday, DeSantis’s campaign noted that the governor has also spoken to The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, ABC News, CBS News and CNN. 

“The DeSantis team is obviously trying to change things up and they realize that time is running out because Trump keeps getting stronger,” O’Connell said. 

“In the here and now it’s about the lack of media oxygen,” he said. “That is really what’s dogging his campaign.” 

Over the course of two hours, seven GOP hopefuls took their turn on stage in front of about 800 party activists in the leadoff caucus state, all invited to speak at Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson's fundraising barbecue at a Cedar Rapids racetrack.

But in their pitches to challenge Trump for the 2024 nomination, it was as if his indictment Tuesday on federal charges accusing him of working to overturn the 2020 election results had never happened, even from the candidate who has suggested the former president quit the race.

Instead, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has been a vocal Trump critic, touched only on the related Republican outrage with the Department of Justice, which many conservative activists allege has been politically biased in its investigation of Trump. The former president is also facing federal charges filed in June accusing him of improperly keeping sensitive documents in his Florida home and obstructing efforts to recover them.

Hutchinson Sunday only called for revamping the Department of Justice and in a popular applause line for GOP candidates promised to name a new head of the department.

“And yes, I would get a new attorney general that would enforce the rule of law in a way that is fair for our country,” said Hutchinson, earning polite applause from the audience.

Even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has warned that Republicans will lose next year by looking backward and repeating Trump's false claims the 2020 election was stolen, came only as close as saying, “The time for excuses is over.”

Trump remains very popular within the Iowa Republican caucus electorate. A New York Times/Siena College poll of likely Iowa Republican caucus attendees, published Friday but taken before Trump’s indictment was made public, showed him far ahead of his closest rival. All other would-be challengers, except DeSantis, received support in the single digits.

Still, the poll suggested Trump’s position may be slightly less strong in Iowa than it is nationally.

Throughout the early months of the campaign, Republican strategists have warned against attacking Trump directly, arguing it tends to anger voters who have supported him and see the charges he faces as political persecution, even as they are open to other candidates.

“Think of everything he's been through,” said Rosie Rekers, an interior decorator from Waverly, Iowa, who attended the Hinson event. “We've got to move on from that.”

DeSantis, Hutchinson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, conservative radio host Larry Elder and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy made their arguments for their candidacies with no mention of Trump.

Only two candidates Sunday mentioned Trump by name.

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who served in the post under Trump, mentioned him in an anecdote about a report she filed to him, an illustration of her irritation about member nations who opposed U.S. policy but received foreign financial aid.

Michigan businessman Perry Johnson was the only other candidate to name Trump, first by noting the former president had spent more money than he had to raise campaign contributions.

Johnson, who received little support in the New York Times poll noted he had pledged to pardon Trump last spring after the former president was indicted by a grand jury in New York on charges he falsified documents related to payments made to a porn star.

“I think that it's unfair that we start picking on our candidates and letting the Democrats decide who should be running,” Johnson said.

But there's nothing routine about this case. The defendant is Donald Trump, accused of orchestrating a conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The potential witness pool is vast and includes members of the former president's inner circle deeply involved in his reelection campaign, including some currently on his payroll. His lies about the election — which form the basis of the charges — are repeated in nearly every speech he gives.

“The standard language may not work here, when you have thousands of Americans who could be witnesses and he continues to have daily contact with people who may be involved,” said Laurie Levenson, a law professor at Loyola Law School of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. “Everything is more complicated in this case because of who the defendant is, what he has done and that he wants to be president again."

A test for Trump may come as early as Friday. He is attending the Alabama Republican Party’s annual Summer Dinner. On Saturday he will deliver the keynote speech at the South Carolina GOP’s 56th Annual Silver Elephant Gala.

As his campaign unfolds, the potential witness pool in his latest case is very broad. The congressional hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot could offer some insight — those interviews spanned more than 1,000 people, and included some of Trump’s closest advisers and family members, including his daughter Ivanka and his son Donald Trump Jr.

So it’s possible he may already be talking about the case in front of witnesses.

Even as he traveled to Washington Thursday for his arraignment, Trump was accompanied by top aides including Jason Miller, a communications staffer who had been featured heavily in the Jan. 6 congressional hearings, and Boris Epshteyn, a longtime adviser who was part of the efforts to overturn the election results by organizing fake electors. The complications reflect the reality that Trump’s campaign and his legal issues are now intertwined.

“The legal messaging is the political messaging and the political messaging is the legal messaging,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said before the latest indictment. “It’s part of what we’re running on. Trump has made the legal issues a big focus of his campaign and from our standpoint, it’s messaging that works.”

Trump makes reference to the 2020 election in almost every speech he gives, telling his supporters that he ran twice and won twice as he vows to do it again. Trump’s speeches also often include extensive discussion of the cases he faces as he tries the cast the investigations as part of a politicized effort to damage his candidacy.

And many close advisers are potential witnesses. His 2024 campaign includes some, like Miller, who worked for his 2020 effort, as well as some new leaders who were not involved in his efforts to overturn the election.

The issue has come up before, after Trump was charged by federal prosecutors with illegally hoarding classified records at his Florida Mar-a-Lago estate and rejecting government demands to give them back.

In that case, there was a back-and-forth between the judge and Trump lawyers over whether he could speak to his co-defendant, valet Walt Nauta. Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche noted that Nauta and potential witnesses are people with whom Trump interacts daily, whether at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida or his other clubs.

The judge said he could speak with Nauta, just not about the case. Nauta was with Trump again in Washington on Thursday, holding an umbrella as the former president spoke to reporters before he boarded a plane back to Bedminster, New Jersey.

The former president and current Republican front-runner said on the tarmac that the latest case was “persecution” of a political opponent by President Joe Biden.

During his arraignment in Washington, where he pleaded not guilty to four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, he agreed not to talk about the case with any witnesses without lawyers present, and not to attempt to influence any potential jurors or tamper with witnesses.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya told him that if he failed to comply with any conditions of his release, a warrant might be issued for his arrest. A formal witness list is usually presented closer to trial, though prosecutors often signal candidates earlier in the process.

The former president is not known to hold back or refrain from talking about off-limits subjects. He’s also been accused of defying court orders before, and he’s already been reprimanded by one judge overseeing a hush-money prosecution to refrain from comments that were “likely to incite violence or civil unrest.”

Georgia prosecutors have also been probing Trump and his allies for their efforts to overturn his election loss in that state.

It was the second time this year Trump was face-to-face with special counsel Jack Smith, this time facing four counts, including on efforts to defraud the U.S. and obstruct congressional proceedings, as the Justice Department contends his plot to remain in power was “fueled by lies.” 

His motorcade arrived around 3:15 p.m. at Washington's federal courthouse, blocks from the U.S. Capitol, where a mob of his supporters rioted on Jan. 6, 2021, as a result of those efforts. 

Trump walked into the courtroom wearing his signature blue suit and red tie with a stony expression on his face, a look that changed little during the brief proceedings. 

The former president spoke little during the hearing, answering questions about his name and age, while rarely glancing at prosecutors. When asked whether he understood that his words could be used against him, he replied in the affirmative.  

While largely procedural in nature, the historic nature of Trump’s appearance was reflected by some unusual attendees – several federal district court judges were sitting in the gallery.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya presided over the appearance, though she will not oversee the trial. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee who has given out strong sentences to Jan. 6 defendants.

The former president was left waiting for the judge for 24 minutes, while nearly a dozen federal agents stood behind him.

Trump was joined by his attorneys, John Lauro and Todd Blanche who had a back-and-forth with government prosecutors who said they were prepared to produce “substantial discovery” on a quick timeline, requesting a speedy trial.

Related coverage from The Hill

• Judge warns Trump against bribing or influencing witnesses
• Trump after Jan. 6 arraignment: ‘If you can’t beat him you persecute him’
• Bennie Thompson says he has mixed feelings about Trump going on trial
• Barr calls Trump indictment ‘tip of the iceberg’ in Jack Smith’s case

Defense attorneys said they did not want a speedy trial, given the purported extensive evidence.

Upadhyaya ultimately scheduled Trump’s next court appearance in the case for Aug. 28, the date that the former president’s attorneys said they preferred.

The judge also assured Trump and his team that he would get a “fair trial” in DC.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, in Arlington, Va., as he heads to Washington to face a judge on federal conspiracy charges alleging Trump conspired to subvert the 2020 election. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The former president had complained he will be unable to get a fair trial in D.C., floating that his legal team will seek to move the case to West Virginia – a motion unlikely to be successful.

Upadhyaya also reminded Trump that bribing or influencing witnesses, or retaliating against them, is a crime – a notable warning, given the House committee that investigated the Capitol attack alleged the ex-president and his allies made efforts to contact and influence a witness in that probe.

“Are you prepared to comply?” the judge asked of Trump.

“Yes,” Trump responded.

Nearly every step of the scheme Trump is charged with — from pushing the Justice Department to launch investigations into his baseless claims of fraud to pressuring then-Vice President Mike Pence and a whole suite of state officials to play a role in rejecting the results to submitting false electoral certificates — were covered in a historic indictment unveiled Tuesday. 

Each effort was used to support charges under conspiracy to defraud the United States, two tied to a statute that bars disruption of an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights — a Reconstruction-era law protecting the right to vote. 

“Despite having lost, the Defendant was determined to remain in power,” prosecutors said in the Tuesday indictment.

The indictment details a string of false statements Trump made about his electoral performance, alleging the former president was aware — and repeatedly advised — such claims were untrue.

“These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false,” the indictment reads. “But the Defendant repeated and widely disseminated them anyway — to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election.”

Former President Donald Trump boards his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, in Arlington, Va., after facing a judge on federal conspiracy charges that allege he conspired to subvert the 2020 election. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump has claimed each case filed against him this year is part of a broader effort to hamper him in the 2024 election.

“Look, it’s not my fault that my political opponent in the Democrat Party, Crooked Joe Biden, has told his Attorney General to charge the leading (by far!) Republican Nominee & former President of the United States, me, with as many crimes as can be concocted,” Trump wrote on social media ahead of the arraignment.  

Outside the courthouse Thursday, a smattering of demonstrators gathered to show support for the former president. The protesters were hugely outnumbered by swarms of media camped out on the south and west sides of the building.

The arraignment in a D.C. courtroom was Trump’s third this year, following the filing of charges in New York relating to his efforts to conceal hush money payments and another case brought by Smith stemming from the mishandling and retention of classified records at Mar-a-Lago.

Between all three cases, Trump now faces a combined 78 criminal charges and the risk of jail time, if convicted.

Updated 6:47 p.m.

Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said police had responded around 2:30 p.m. to reports of an active shooter wearing body armor in the Hart Senate Office Building.

Lawmakers are not in Washington due to the August recess, but aides were working in the buildings.

More than 200 officers responded "within seconds," clearing all three buildings — Hart, Russell and Dirksen — floor-by-floor.

“So far, nothing. We’ve found nothing concerning. We’ve gotten nobody that has actually heard shots and certainly no victims,” Manger said.

Authorities have had no further contact with the initial caller.

“I think at this point we can say that we’ve found no confirmation that there was an active shooter and that this might have been a bogus call," he said.

By about 4 p.m., the buildings had been evacuated, and shortly after staffers were allowed to return inside.

“We have been training for active shooters for the last couple of years and we’ve been training inside these office buildings," Manger said.

Staffers, some appearing shaken, were huddled outside.

Outside the Hart building, two staffers said they had been told by Capitol police that there was a report of an active shooter and were told it was not a drill.

They were asked to close doors, turn off lights and get away from windows. 

After 30 or 40 minutes Capitol police officers cleared the offices with guns drawn moving from the top toward the lower floors and escorted outside the building.

One rattled staffer was overheard expressing her discomfort at having a police officers displaying weapons.

A second staffer clarified that officers were not pointing their firearms at staff.

Manger said fencing would not go up around the Capitol, but a security plan was in place for the following day, when former President Trump is set to make a court appearance in Washington.

“We’re prepared for whatever may happen tomorrow," he said.

Updated at 4:26 p.m.

But that also means that about half the broad GOP field is running short on time to make the cut.

To qualify for the Aug. 23 debate, candidates needed to satisfy polling and donor requirements set by the Republican National Committee: at least 1% in three high-quality national polls or a mix of national and early-state polls, between July 1 and Aug. 21, and a minimum of 40,000 donors, with 200 in 20 or more states.

A look at who’s in, who’s (maybe) out and who’s still working on making it:

WHO HAS QUALIFIED:

DONALD TRUMP

The current front-runner long ago satisfied the polling and donor thresholds. But he is considering boycotting and holding a competing event.

Campaign advisers have said the former president has not made a final decision about the debate. One noted that “it’s pretty clear,” based on Trump’s public and private statements, that he is unlikely to appear with the other candidates.

“If you’re leading by a lot, what’s the purpose of doing it?” Trump asked on Newsmax.

In the meantime, aides have discussed potential alternative programming if Trump opts for a rival event. One option Trump has floated is an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who now has a program on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

RON DESANTIS

The Florida governor has long been seen as Trump’s top rival, finishing a distant second to him in a series of polls in early-voting states, as well as national polls, and raising an impressive amount of money.

But DeSantis’ campaign has struggled in recent weeks to live up to the sky-high expectations that awaited him when he entered the race. He let go of more than one-third of his staff as federal filings showed his campaign was burning through cash at an unsustainable rate.

If Trump is absent, DeSantis may be the top target on stage at the debate.

TIM SCOTT
The South Carolina senator has been looking for a breakout moment. The first debate could be his chance.

A prolific fundraiser, Scott enters the summer with $21 million cash on hand.

In one debate-approved poll in Iowa, Scott joined Trump and DeSantis in reaching double digits. The senator has focused much of his campaign resources on the leadoff GOP voting state, which is dominated by white evangelical voters.

NIKKI HALEY
She has blitzed early-voting states with campaign events, walking crowds through her electoral successes ousting a longtime incumbent South Carolina lawmaker, then becoming the state’s first woman and first minority governor. Also serving as Trump’s U.N. ambassador for about two years, Haley frequently cites her international experience, arguing about the threat China poses to the United States.

The only woman in the GOP race, Haley has said transgender students competing in sports is “the women’s issue of our time” and has drawn praise from a leading anti-abortion group, which called her “uniquely gifted at communicating from a pro-life woman’s perspective.”

Bringing in $15.6 million since the start of her campaign, Haley’s campaign says she has “well over 40,000 unique donors” and has satisfied the debate polling requirements.

VIVEK RAMASWAMY
The biotech entrepreneur and author of “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam” is an audience favorite at multicandidate events and has polled well despite not being nationally known when he entered the race.

Ramaswamy’s campaign says he met the donor threshold earlier this year. He recently rolled out “Vivek’s Kitchen Cabinet” to boost his donor numbers even more, by letting fundraisers keep 10% of what they bring in for his campaign.

CHRIS CHRISTIE
The former New Jersey governor opened his campaign by portraying himself as the only candidate ready to take on Trump. Christie called on the former president to “show up at the debates and defend his record.”

Christie will be on that stage, even if Trump isn’t, telling CNN this month that he surpassed “40,000 unique donors in just 35 days.” He also has met the polling requirements.

DOUG BURGUM
Burgum, a wealthy former software entrepreneur now in his second term as North Dakota’s governor, has been using his fortune to boost his campaign.

He announced a program this month to give away $20 gift cards — “Biden Relief Cards,” as a critique of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy — to as many as 50,000 people in exchange for $1 donations. Critics have questioned whether the offer violated campaign finance law.

Within about a week of launching that effort, Burgum announced he had surpassed the donor threshold. Ad blitzes in the early-voting states also helped him meet the polling requirements.

WHO HASN’T QUALIFIED:

MIKE PENCE
Trump’s vice president has met the polling threshold but has yet to amass a sufficient number of donors, raising the possibility that he might not qualify for the party’s first debate.

Pence and his advisers have expressed confidence he will do so, noting that most other Republican hopefuls took a month or two of being active candidates to meet the mark. Pence entered the race on June 7, the same day as Burgum and one day after Christie.

“We’re making incredible progress toward that goal. We’re not there yet,” Pence told CNN in a recent interview. “We will make it. I will see you at that debate stage.”

ASA HUTCHINSON
According to his campaign, the former two-term Arkansas governor has met the polling requirements but is working on satisfying the donor threshold. As of Wednesday, Hutchinson marked more than 11,000 unique donors.

Hutchinson is running in the mold of an old-school Republican and has differentiated himself from many of his GOP rivals in his willingness to criticize Trump. He has posted pleas on Twitter for $1 donations to help secure his slot.

FRANCIS SUAREZ
The Miami mayor has been one of the more creative candidates in his efforts to boost his donor numbers. He offered up a chance to see Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi’s debut as a player for Inter Miami, saying donors who gave $1 would be entered in a chance to get front-row tickets.

Still shy of the donor threshold, he took a page from Burgum’s playbook by offering a $20 “Bidenomics Relief Card” in return for $1 donations. A super political action committee supporting Suarez launched a sweepstakes for a chance at up to $15,000 in tuition, in exchange for a $1 donation to Suarez’s campaign.

Suarez’s campaign did not return a message seeking details on his number of donors or qualifying polls.

LARRY ELDER
The conservative radio host wrote in an op-ed that the RNC “has rigged the rules of the game by instituting a set of criteria that is so onerous and poorly designed that only establishment-backed and billionaire candidates are guaranteed to be on stage.”

His campaign last week declined to detail its number of donors, saying only that there had been “a strong increase the last few weeks.” He has not met the polling requirements.

PERRY JOHNSON
Johnson, a wealthy but largely unknown businessman from Michigan, said in a recent social media post that he had notched 23,000 donors and was “confident” he would make the debate stage. He added that all donors were “eligible to attend my free concert in Iowa featuring” country duo Big & Rich next month.

Johnson, who has reached 1% in one qualifying poll, has also offered to give copies of his book “Two Cents to Save America” to anyone who donated to his campaign.

WILL HURD
The former Texas congressman — the last candidate to enter the race, on June 22 — has said repeatedly that he would not pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee, a stance that would keep him off the stage even if he had the qualifying donor and polling numbers.

“I assume that an Indictment from Deranged Jack Smith and his highly partisan gang of Thugs, pertaining to my ‘PEACEFULLY & PATRIOTICALLY Speech, will be coming out any day now, as yet another attempt to cover up all of the bad news about bribes, payoffs, and extortion, coming from the Biden ‘camp,’” Trump posted on Truth Social. “This seems to be the way they do it. ELECTION INTERFERENCE! PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT!”

Smith is investigating Trump’s attempts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election, which culminated with Trump delivering a speech Jan. 6, 2021, in which he repeated false claims about the election being rigged. Trump supporters then violently stormed and ransacked the Capitol in a bid to halt the certification of the election results.

Anticipation over a potential indictment of Trump has been building for weeks after the former president shared that he had received a letter from the Justice Department notifying him he was a target of their investigation.

Target letters typically indicate prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to bring charges against an individual.

In addition, a handful of former Trump officials have reportedly testified in recent weeks as part of Smith’s investigation into the former president’s actions after the 2020 election. Prosecutors are said to have been interested in whether Trump acknowledged that he lost the election despite his public claims that it was fraudulent and could be overturned.

Trump pursued a multi-pronged plan to remain in office following the 2020 election, turning to the DOJ, state officials and even his own supporters, who violently ransacked the Capitol after then-Vice President Mike Pence refused Trump’s request to overturn the results. 

The former president’s attorneys met last week with officials from Smith’s office. Trump called it a “productive” meeting, and he indicated his representatives sought to make the case against bringing charges.

A federal grand jury hearing evidence in the case meets Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Seven candidates have qualified so far, hitting the 40,000 individual contributor threshold. Johnson joins the Today In Iowa Saturday crew to explain how he is trying to secure a spot in Milwaukee, WI on August 23.

Former President Donald Trump made his first public appearance after a new set of charges were brought against him for the classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Twelve other candidates, along with President Trump, gave 10 minute speeches to a packed crowd at the Iowa Events Center for the Iowa GOP's annual Lincoln Dinner.

The full list of speakers included former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Senator Tim Scott, Perry Johnson, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Congressman Will Hurd, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Ryan Binkley and Vivek Ramaswamy.

"While DeSanctus (DeSantis) is losing to Biden in all cases," said Trump while referencing poll numbers. "I wouldn't take a chance on that one."

"And the reason Donald Trump lost the election in 2020, is he failed to grow the GOP brand," said former U.S. Representative from Texas Will Hurd "...Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison."

The first Republican Primary Presidential debate is in Milwaukee, WI on August 23.

Johnson's campaign offered "Fire Biden" shirts outside of the Iowa Events Center Friday while Johnson and other Republican candidates attended the Lincoln Dinner inside.

The Republican National Committee requires candidates to have more than 40,000 unique donations and at least one percent of support in several polls to qualify for the August 23 debate in Milwaukee.

People donated as little as $1 to Johnson's campaign in exchange for a "Fire Biden" shirt. His campaign organizers say they are proud of the strategy and the shirts.

"This shirt doesn't matter who you're supporting on the Republican side," said campaign coordinator Vanessa Treft. "We've had Trump supporters, Perry Johnson supporters, DeSantis supporters, they just all love the t-shirts. I can't even tell you how many we've gone through in my three weeks here."

Seven candidates have qualified for the Milwaukee debate so far:

• Former President Donald Trump
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
• Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina
• Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
• Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley
• Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy of Ohio
• Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota

The trip comes two weeks after Governor Kim Reynolds signed the so-called 'fetal heartbeat' law that bans abortions as soon as six weeks after conception - before many women know they are pregnant. A Polk County judge has blocked the new law from taking affect, the first step in an expected legal battle.

Trump, the early front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, is making a rare appearance with the rest of the field at an Iowa Republican Party fundraiser a day after he was charged with additional counts over his retention of classified documents after leaving office. He is also bracing to soon be charged in Washington over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump has typically avoided attending events that put him in the lineup with the rest of the crowded field and has questioned why he should share the stage with his trailing rivals.

But with Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses less than six months away, Trump and a dozen other GOP hopefuls are taking advantage of the chance to speak to about 1,200 GOP members and activists at Friday’s Lincoln Day Dinner.

DeSantis, Trump’s strongest rival in the field, has been trying to reset his stalled campaign for two weeks. He returned on Thursday to Iowa, where his campaign is increasingly focusing its efforts on trying to derail Trump.

DeSantis’ stumbles have raised questions about whether another candidate might be able to emerge from the crowded field and catch the former president. Some evangelicals, who play a determinative role in the state’s caucuses, have pointed to South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott’s upbeat message and pulpit-style delivery as strengths that could help him rise there.

Scott held a town hall Thursday night in Ankeny with Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and a crowd of a few hundred people, many of whom were forced to stand in the corners of the room. He drew laughs, head nods and amens, and the senator took about a dozen questions.

Many in the room said they were impressed with his positions and his positive outlook, even if they aren't sure yet who they'll support.

“There’s nothing negative coming out of this guy,” said Tony Vola, 76, of Saylor Township, a suburb of Des Moines. He said Scott knows his stuff and has a “fantastic” personality. “My God, he's a real guy.”

DeSantis, who has pledged to eventually visit all of Iowa’s 99 counties, started a two-day bus tour Thursday organized by a super PAC supporting his run.

“No one will outwork Ron DeSantis in the Hawkeye State, and he is just getting started,” campaign spokesperson Andrew Romeo said in a statement.

But it comes amid fresh questions about his strategy and path forward.

After his fundraising reports showed him burning through donations, the governor cut more than a third of his campaign staff. One of the laid-off aides had shared a video featuring DeSantis’ face superimposed on a symbol embraced by the Nazis, a development first reported by Semafor.

His cash crunch seems to be driving the campaign to rely even more on the efforts of the super PAC, Never Back Down, to take up the work typically done by campaign staff.

Super PACs can receive unlimited sums from donors but are barred under federal rules from donating to candidates or coordinating with campaigns on how their money is spent.

While presidential campaigns have been supplemented before by the work of super PACs, which frequently use deeper coffers to run expensive television ads, the work Never Back Down has done to promote DeSantis has been more expansive.

The organization has been working to organize on the ground, including lining up caucus supporters for DeSantis. And while candidates before him have appeared at events put on by super PACs, DeSantis is embarking on the bus tour as the PAC’s “special guest.”

Never Back Down is also hosting a reception immediately after Friday's dinner for DeSantis supporters, a task that other campaigns are taking on themselves.

Both the DeSantis campaign and Never Back Down defended the arrangement when asked how it complies with federal rules.

“We will continue to use our resources wisely by accepting special guest invitations to ensure Ron DeSantis is in the strongest position to win this primary and defeat the Harris-Biden administration,” Romeo, the DeSantis campaign spokesperson, said.

Jess Szymanski, a spokesperson for Never Back Down, said, “There are decades of precedent for Super PACs to host candidates and others as special guests at events.”

DeSantis has in recent days also been defending Florida's new public school curriculum on Black history, which requires teachers to instruct middle school students that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

DeSantis has faced criticism from teachers and civil rights leaders and got into a public dispute with Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, a Black Republican congressman who said he had a problem with that part of the curriculum.

“I’d ask all my colleagues in Florida: Stand up for your state,” DeSantis said in an interview Thursday with CBS News. “Don’t side with Kamala Harris.”

Harris, too, will be in Iowa on Friday, seeking to draw a contrast with the Republicans. The Democratic vice president is scheduled to meet in Des Moines with activists and discuss abortion rights. Reynolds recently signed a ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. A judge has temporarily blocked the law but the Iowa Supreme Court will consider the governor's request to put it back in effect.

___

Price reported from New York.

She's calling the series Fair-Side Chats and she’ll interview 12 candidates one-on-one. The chats are happening at JR’s South Pork Ranch over five days during the fair.

“The Iowa State Fair showcases the best of Iowa – from our people to our culture and wonderful agriculture industry – and it’s the perfect venue for a conversation with the candidates," said Reynolds.

The schedule for the chats is subject to change but her campaign has released the current slate:

Thursday, August 10: 

• 10:30 AM: Larry Elder

Friday, August 11:

• 8:30 AM: Gov. Doug Burgum
• 9:30 AM: Vice President Mike Pence
• 10:30 AM: Mayor Francis Suarez

Saturday, August 12: 

• 8:30 AM: Vivek Ramaswamy
• 9:30 AM: Amb. Nikki Haley
• 10:30 AM: Gov. Ron DeSantis

Tuesday, August 15: 

• 8:30 AM: Gov. Asa Hutchinson
• 9:30 AM: Ryan Binkley
• 10:30 AM: Sen. Tim Scott

Friday, August 18: 

• 9:30 AM: Perry Johnson
• 10:30 AM: Will Hurd

Gov. Reynolds is also asking Iowans what questions they want the candidates to answer. You can submit questions here.

Thirteen presidential candidates will get 10 minutes each to speak to the audience at the fundraiser. Microphones will shut off at that 10-minute mark.

Organizers say former President Donald Trump will be in attendance and will be afforded the chance to speak last. It's the first time that Trump will be sharing a stage in Iowa with the wide field of Republican presidential candidates, some of whom he has mocked with personal insults.

Other candidates taking the stage include former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and U.S. Senator Tim Scott.

Perry Johnson, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence, and Congressman Will Hurd are also taking part.

Rounding out the list is Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Ryan Binkley, Larry Elder, and Ohio businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

All will have their chance to make a case to Iowa Republicans. The Lincoln Dinner takes place three weeks before the first Republican primary debate. Tickets are already sold out.

Trump said he received the “target letter” Sunday evening.

“Deranged Jack Smith, the prosecutor with Joe Biden’s DOJ, sent a letter (again it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an arrest and indictment.”

It had been clear that Trump’s actions would be a central focus of the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation, as Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to review the matter last year to determine “whether any person or entity unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power.”

But, as Trump states, receiving a target letter is often a sign someone could soon face charges in a matter where prosecutors have gathered substantial evidence.

Trump pursued a multi-pronged plan to remain in office, turning to the DOJ, state officials and even his own supporters, who ransacked the Capitol after then-Vice President Mike Pence refused Trump’s request to overturn the election results. 

It’s unclear what specific charges Trump could face if prosecutors decide to move ahead.

A model prosecution memo analyzing publicly available details about the DOJ investigation suggested the former president could face charges on conspiracy to defraud the United States after creating fake electoral certificates that were submitted to Congress. 

Creating those fake electoral certificates could also invoke statutes that prohibit obstruction of an official proceeding, a charge also leveled at numerous rioters who entered the building, including members of the Oath Keepers and military and chauvinist group the Proud Boys.

Prosecutors in recent weeks have called a number of Trump allies before the grand jury, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and former aide Hope Hicks. Prosecutors reportedly asked questions about whether Trump knew he had lost the election, as demonstrating intent is key for some charges. 

More on the Jan. 6 investigation from The Hill:

• Kushner, Hope Hicks testified before Jan. 6 grand jury: reports
• Legal experts see strong potential for Trump charges in Jan. 6 probe
• Ex-Arizona House Speaker says he’s spoken to FBI in 2020 election probe

An indictment would mark the third time this year Trump has been charged with a crime, and the second time in a matter of months that he would face federal charges. He was charged in Manhattan in April over an alleged hush money scheme to keep quiet an affair, and in June he pleaded not guilty to federal charges over his handling of classified documents upon leaving office.

The former president is still under investigation in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. The district attorney leading the investigation has signaled charges could be filed in August.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that the myriad investigations into his conduct are part of an attempt to undermine his 2024 White House bid, pointing to his sizable lead in Republican primary polls, as well as some surveys that have shown him narrowly leading President Biden in a hypothetical rematch.

“THIS WITCH HUNT IS ALL ABOUT ELECTION INTERFERENCE AND A COMPLETE AND TOTAL POLITICAL WEAPONIZATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT!” Trump said Tuesday. “It is a very sad and dark period for our Nation!”

The Biden White House has been adamant that they have had no contact with the DOJ about cases involving Trump.

In the case over his handling of classified materials, a May 19 letter from the DOJ notified Trump he was a target of the investigation, according to court filings. Trump posted on social media June 8 that he had been indicted. 

In this case, however, it appears Trump has been given until Thursday to appear before the grand jury in Washington.

Trump’s office did not immediately respond to questions about whether he will appear before the grand jury — a chance to offer his own evidence in the case — and Smith’s office declined to comment on the matter.

In the halls of Congress, Republicans defended Trump, repeating his claims that he is being unfairly targeted.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who in the days after the Jan. 6 attack said that Trump “bears responsibility” for the riot, sounded a different tune Tuesday morning.

“Recently, President Trump went up in the polls and was actually surpassing President Biden for reelection. So, what do they do now? Weaponize government to go after their No. 1 opponent,” he told reporters.

“This is not equal justice. They treat people differently and they go after their adversaries.”

On the day of the insurrection, McCarthy called Trump, pleading with him to make a public statement to call off his supporters, at one point reportedly telling the then-president that “they are trying to f‑‑‑ing kill me.”

"Yeah, it's absolute bulls‑‑‑,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said. “This is the only way that the Democrats have to beat President Trump.”

But Democrats argued Trump’s plan to stay in power was an effort to subvert democracy, one that should carry serious consequences.

“A mob of insurrectionists violently attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6th in order to halt the peaceful transfer of power,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) wrote on Twitter.

“The American people deserve to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, called a potential case among the most serious Trump would face.

“If he'll be facing charges with respect to the Jan. 6 insurrection, those are perhaps the most serious charges,” he said. “If he's convicted of insurrection, he's ineligible to ever hold any office of profit or trust under the United States.”

Emily Brooks and Mychael Schnell contributed. Updated at 5:02 p.m. ET.