Federal Grand Jury in Florida to Probe Alleged Decade-Long Effort to Undermine Donald Trump, Ally Says

A conservative attorney close to senior Trump administration officials claims a federal grand jury seated in Fort Pierce, Florida, will begin work in January to examine allegations that top Democrats orchestrated a multiyear campaign to hinder former President Donald Trump.

Mike Davis, an attorney who previously assisted with Supreme Court confirmations and now leads the Article III Project, outlined the allegation in a series of interviews with conservative media during the past week. According to Davis, the panel will weigh possible charges against current and former Democratic officials who, he argues, used law-enforcement and judicial mechanisms to damage Trump’s political prospects over roughly ten years.

Although Davis holds no government post, court documents show that a federal judge last month approved the Justice Department’s request to convene a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The order schedules the panel to meet in Fort Pierce starting in January. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District, led by Jason Quiñones, has not publicly stated the panel’s focus, and a spokesperson did not respond to inquiries.

In an appearance on “The Charlie Kirk Show,” Davis said his “buddy” Quiñones petitioned the court after what Davis described as intense lobbying. Davis asserted that the inquiry should compel testimony from former Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Special Counsel Jack Smith regarding what he calls a politicized use of federal law. ABC News reports that requests for comment to Quiñones’ office have gone unanswered.

Davis contends that the officials may have violated 18 U.S.C. 241—identified in the interviews as 18 U.S.C. 24—a statute enacted during Reconstruction and most often used to protect civil rights. He argues the provision applies broadly to alleged efforts to interfere with federally protected rights, including electoral processes. Prosecutors have previously invoked the law in election-related and police-misconduct cases.

The attorney asserts the purported conspiracy began with the FBI’s 2016 “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation into Russian election interference and continued through the multiple criminal and civil cases filed against Trump. He further includes the January 6 investigation, legal attempts to remove Trump from state ballots during the 2024 campaign, and what he characterizes as inadequate Secret Service protection before two 2024 assassination attempts. Davis maintains that each episode formed part of an overarching plan to bankrupt, imprison, or otherwise derail Trump.

On social media last weekend, Trump echoed calls for legal action, writing that “Radical Left Lunatics should be prosecuted” for allegedly rigging the 2020 election. The former president, however, has not specifically addressed Davis’s statements about the forthcoming grand jury.

The Fort Pierce courthouse is familiar territory for Trump and his legal team. It hosted several hearings in the now-dismissed classified-documents case that accused Trump of retaining sensitive materials after leaving office. A federal judge dismissed that matter before the 2024 election, a step Davis cites as further evidence of what he calls “lawfare” tactics against Trump.

Davis’s allegations surface as some Republican senators question the breadth of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. News reports that prosecutors obtained phone records of several lawmakers have intensified intra-party scrutiny of the Justice Department’s approach.

Imagem: Internet

The attorney also claims political motivations behind ballot-access challenges. Last year, courts in Colorado and other states reviewed petitions to bar Trump from ballots under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. While the Colorado Supreme Court initially ruled to exclude Trump, the decision was reversed on appeal, allowing him to remain on the primary ballot. Davis argues those proceedings fit the pattern he wants the grand jury to evaluate.

Under Davis’s outline, the grand jury could hear testimony about:

• The FBI’s inquiries into Russian interference and any subsequent surveillance of Trump associates.
• The Justice Department’s indictments arising from the January 6 Capitol riot.
• Civil lawsuits claiming fraud at the Trump Organization.
• Alleged gaps in Secret Service protection ahead of two shooting attempts on the former president in 2024.

Legal experts note that grand juries are investigative bodies and do not guarantee that indictments will follow. Any decision to charge individuals would require the concurrence of prosecutors and the approval of the grand jury based on presented evidence. The Justice Department has not disclosed whether the panel’s scope aligns with Davis’s description.

Davis, who has repeatedly called for criminal accountability for what he labels “leftist lawfare,” told podcast host Benny Johnson, “I’m going to make sure these lawfare Democrats go to prison during President Trump’s second term.”

The grand jury is slated to convene as the 2026 midterm election cycle begins, positioning its potential findings at the center of an already polarized political climate. Until formal filings emerge, the inquiry’s exact focus remains uncertain, and no Democratic officials have been publicly notified of possible charges.

Crédito da imagem: Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty