Trump strategizes with Hill allies to go on offense against January 6 criminal probe

Donald Trump has reached out to his top allies on Capitol Hill to strategize how they can help defend him against potential criminal charges over his effort to overturn the 2020 election - the latest example of Republicans racing behind the scenes to use their power and platforms to shield the former president without knowing details yet about the criminal investigation.

Trump spoke Tuesday with both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, who leads the House GOP's messaging efforts, according to multiple sources familiar with the conversation.

One source described the call with Stefanik as "a long conversation," and said the two went over her plans to go on offense through her role on the House subcommittee on alleged weaponization of the federal government, as well as her overall efforts to rally support from the House GOP conference around the former president and attack special counsel Jack Smith.

Trump's Hill outreach comes on the heels of him announcing on Tuesday he had received a letter from Smith on Sunday indicating he is a criminal target, a sign he may be soon charged by the special counsel. Republicans, particularly in the House, were quick to downplay Trump's role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and vowed to use every tool at their disposal to fight back against any potential charges - a familiar playbook for the GOP, which launched a multi-pronged attack on Smith after Trump was indicted in the classified documents case, and rallied behind Trump in the wake of the Manhattan district attorney indictment.

One of the ideas now being batted around by Republicans is threatening to go after Smith's budget. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, one of Trump's staunchest allies on Capitol Hill, announced Tuesday he plans to soon introduce legislation to defund the special counsel. Firebrand GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has previously called for similar action.

"In the coming hours, the coming days, I will be introducing legislation under my name in the House of Representatives as a freestanding bill to defund the Jack Smith investigation," Gaetz said on his podcast, saying he wanted to specifically focus on alleged election interference and supposed lack of transparency.

Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, another prominent Trump supporter and member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, also echoed support for the idea, calling Smith "out of control."