Special counsel digging into Oval Office meeting in final days of Trump presidency: report

Special counsel Jack Smith is digging into an Oval Office meeting that took place in the waning days of the Trump administration to discuss how the then-president could remain in power, CNN reported Thursday. 

Multiple sources told the outlet that members of Smith’s team have asked questions to several witnesses in interviews and during sessions before a grand jury that has been organized about the meeting.

The Oval Office meeting took place Dec. 18, about six weeks after the 2020 presidential election lost by former President Trump; outside advisers including former Trump attorney Sidney Powell, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne gathered for a discussion with White House attorneys. 

They discussed a plan to have the military seize voting machines in the key states that Trump lost, appoint Powell as a special counsel to investigate purported voter fraud and have Trump declare martial law as part of the effort to overturn the election results. 

CNN reported that people attending the meeting shouted at and insulted one another. Powell and Byrne previously spoke about the meeting in testimony to the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol.

CNN reported that former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani received questions about the meeting when he met with investigators for an interview last month. 

Former national security adviser Robert O’Brien, who was serving in his role at the time of the meeting, was also asked about the meeting during an interview with Smith’s team, according to CNN. He said during his appearance with the House Jan. 6 committee that he was in the meeting by phone, but Flynn and Powell and the White House attorneys had already begun screaming at each other when he joined.