A federal grand jury deciding whether to indict former president Donald Trump over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 elections is meeting on Thursday in Washington DC. 

The jury, convened by special council Jack Smith, is set to hear testimony from William Russel, a former White House aide who was with Trump for much of the day of the January 6 Capitol attack, NBC news reported. 

Earlier this week, Trump said he received a letter from the special council, notifying him that he was the target of the investigation and inviting him to testify before the grand jury by Thursday. 

Trump is not expected to testify, and he said Tuesday that the target letter "almost always means arrest and indictment." 

The investigation is focused on the chaotic weeks between Trump's election loss and his supporters attacking the Capitol in Washington. It is also probing Trump's alleged efforts to "interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election."

This could be Trump's third indictment

In November 2022, the Justice Department appointed special counsel Smith to oversee criminal investigations against the former president on . 

The jury has already heard testimony from former White House officials, Trump's allies, lawyers and state election officials. This includes Mike Pence, who served as Trump's vice president.

If indicted, it would be the third time that Trump would be charged for criminal offences. In June, he was indicted on 37 criminal counts related to his mishandling of classified documents.  

In April, Trump was charged in New York City for falsifying business records in relation to 2016 hush money payments allegedly paid to an adult film star. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.

Trump is currently running for the 2024 US elections. However, his legal battles have so far failed to dent his efforts to win the Republican nomination.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn