Trump lawyers seek meeting with US attorney general over inquiry

Lawyers for Donald Trump have sought a meeting with US attorney general Merrick Garland amid speculation that a criminal investigation into the former president is nearing completion.

In a letter which emerged on Tuesday night, Mr Trump’s lawyers contended that he was being unfairly treated by special counsel Jack Smith.

Mr Smith was appointed by the attorney general to investigate the handling of classified documents by the former US president which were found after he left the White House at Mar-a-Lago, his home and club in Florida.

The special counsel is also examining efforts by Mr Trump and his allies to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election

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US president Joe Biden is also being investigated by a separate special counsel into how he handled classified material which was discovered at his home and in former offices. His son Hunter Biden is being investigated in relation to possible tax charges and for potentially for having lied on a federal form he filled out to purchase a handgun.

The letter from Mr Trump’s lawyers to the attorney general on Tuesday says: “Unlike President Biden, his son Hunter and the Biden family, President Trump is being treated unfairly.

“No president of the United States has ever, in the history of our country, been baselessly investigated in such outrageous and unlawful fashion,” it states.

The lawyers asked for a meeting with Mr Garland “to discuss the ongoing injustice that is being perpetrated by your special counsel and his prosecutors”.

While Mr Smith would make recommendations on whether Mr Trump should face criminal charges arising from his investigation, it would be up to the attorney general to make a final decision.

Details of the letter emerged as speculation is growing that Mr Smith’s investigation into the issue of the classified documents is nearing completion.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that he was “all but finished obtaining testimony and other evidence” in his criminal investigation into whether Mr Trump mishandled the classified documents found at Mar-a- Lago.

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In March, Mr Trump became the first former US president to face criminal charges when prosecutors in New York charged him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. These related to hush money which he alleged paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in a bid to conceal an affair in advance of the 2016 presidential election.

Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty and alleged that the prosecution was politically motivated.

On Tuesday, a judge in Manhattan set a date in late March next year for the trial to take place.

Mr Trump is also under investigation in Georgia over alleged attempts to overturn election results in the state in 2020.