Comprehensive report lays out ‘central figures’ in 2

No former president in United States history — not even the late Richard Nixon — has faced more legal peril than Donald Trump. In addition to a 40-count prosecution (increased from 37 counts in late July) from special counsel Jack Smith and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a 34-count prosecution by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr., Trump is up against two criminal investigations of his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results — one federal and led by Smith, the other conducted by Fulton County DA Fani Willis for the State of Georgia.

Trump has received a target letter in connection with Smith’s probe, indicating that an indictment is likely. And an indictment in Willis’ case, according to reports, appears likely as well.

In a report published on August 1, Politico’s Kyle Cheney takes an in-depth look at the some of the “central figures whose names may return to the forefront when Willis or Smith issue charges — as soon as this week.”

READ MORE: Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis hints at potential August Trump indictment

Cheney breaks those figures down into several different categories, including “the lawyers,” “the West Wing,” “the Justice Department,” “the campaign,” “Congress” and “outsiders.”

The lawyers Cheney cites include those who tried to help Trump overturn the 2020 election results, including Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, Cleta Mitchell, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former law professor John Eastman (who put together an infamous memo claiming that then-Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to not certify President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory on January 6, 2021).

Cheney’s West Wing category includes Pence as well as former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, former Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson and ex-Trump trade advisor Peter Navarro. And Cheney’s DOJ category mentions former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, Jeff Rosen (who replaced Barr after his departure), and attorney Jeff Clark.

For “the campaign,” Cheney notes that Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel is relevant because of her interactions with Trump and Eastman after the 2020 election. And the members of Congress Cheney cites include House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pennsylvania).

READ MORE: Trump target letter alleges conspiracy, witness tampering and deprivation of rights: report

The “outsiders” Cheney lists include “infowars” radio host Alex Jones, GOP operative Roger Stone and “War Room” host Steve Bannon.

“The investigations of Donald Trump’s effort to subvert the 2020 election introduced America to an extensive cast of allies, enablers, detractors and victims who may soon figure into federal charges against the former president,” Cheney notes. “Some were involved in multiple aspects of Trump’s disparate, increasingly desperate attempts to cling to power: assembling false slates of presidential electors, pressuring state legislators and Congress to upend the results, browbeating Mike Pence to single-handedly overturn Joe Biden’s victory, and even weighing a plan to seize voting machines.”

READ MORE: ‘This is serious, serious business’: Former FBI official warns Trump he’s in big trouble after target letter