The 3 statutes that might serve as a basis for prosecution were mentioned in an inquiry letter that the special counsel examining Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn his election defeat sent out.
Based on 3 people who are familiar with the situation, federal prosecutors have added an element to the Jan. 6 investigation by hinting in a target letter that they might accuse former President Donald J. Trump of breaking a civil rights law that goes way back to the post-Civil War Reconstruction era.
Depending on 2 individuals with an understanding of its contents, the letter from the special counsel, Jack Smith, to Mr. Trump referred to 3 criminal laws as a role of the grand jury inquiry investigating Mr. Trump’s attempts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.
Two of the statutes—conspiracy to cheat the government and interference in an official proceeding—were well-known from the criminal reference by the House Committee on January 6 and months of judicial expert conversation.