Trump Handed Legal Loss Hours Before Turning Himself In

• Donald Trump faced a legal blow when a federal appeals court panel denied his attempt to block his former aides from testifying in the investigation into his involvement in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection.
• This came just hours before his arraignment for a separate investigation involving an alleged payment made to silence former adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
• Special Counsel Jack Smith is nearing the end of his probe into the insurrection, which could result in another indictment for Trump.
• Smith is also leading an investigation into Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House.
• Trump continues to deny he committed any wrongdoing.

Former President Donald Trump lost an attempt to keep former aides from testifying to a grand jury as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith's probe into his alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.

The legal blow hit the former president just hours before his arraignment on Tuesday regarding a separate investigation.

Last week, Trump became the first former or current president in U.S. history to face criminal charges after a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict him in connection with an alleged payment made to silence former adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Trump denies any wrongdoing in the case, including Daniels' claim that they had an affair.

As Trump tackles the legal battle in New York, he awaits news on a series of other investigations that could result in additional indictments. One investigation, led by Smith, appears to be nearing its end and, despite Trump's best efforts, several of his top White House aides will be allowed to testify before the grand jury.

On Tuesday, a federal appeals court panel rejected Trump's attempt to block former aides from testifying as part of the January 6 investigation, according to a tweet from Politico reporter Kyle Cheney.

"Several close Trump advisers are the subject of this order, which was part of a rushed series of overnight filings," Cheney tweeted.

A CNN report suggested that aides testifying could include former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and former national security adviser Robert O'Brien, among others.

"As insiders, they would have an inside view to what was going on, possibly even the president's own communications," Palm Beach County, Florida, state attorney Dave Aronberg told Newsweek.

In late February, Smith subpoenaed Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner. Legal experts interpreted the move as Smith approaching the end of the probe, which could result in another indictment against Trump.

Smith also is leading an investigation into Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House. Many documents were discovered in a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raid at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in August.

Trump, who announced his third presidential campaign in November, continues to deny he committed any wrongdoing. To eliminate the Department of Justice's conflict of interest, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to the investigation.

Newsweek reached out to a Trump campaign spokesperson by email for comment.

Update 4/4/23, 5:02 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Dave Aronberg.