Donald Trump is being investigated by the Justice Department as part of a Jan. 6 criminal investigation

The US Department of Justice investigation into an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results has been extended to include the actions of former President Donald Trump The Washington Post.

The newspaper, citing several sources familiar with the matter, reported that witnesses appearing before a grand jury in recent days were grilled for “talking with Trump, his attorneys and others in his close circle.”

That post Federal prosecutors have reportedly asked “detailed questions” about Trump-chaired meetings, pressured his Vice President Mike Pence to block confirmation of the vote, and backed any involvement by Trump in a plan to field “fake” voters.

The New York Times also confirmed the reporting of post.

The Justice Department declined to comment post‘s report when contacted by The Daily Beast.

One of Trump’s attorneys, Alan Futerfas, declined to comment when reached by phone from The Daily Beast late Tuesday night. Another source close to Trump told The Daily Beast that they could not confirm the DOJ is now looking at Trump, but had “been hearing rumors about it for a few weeks.”

Among the latest witnesses to appear before the grand jury are former Pence aides Marc Short and Greg Jacob post reported. Both men – who also appeared before the House Committee on Jan. 6 to discuss Trump’s attempts to pressure their boss – declined to comment.

Short is the senior officer working on the investigation to date.

The DOJ’s expanded focus appears to date back to before the House hearings, when federal authorities received the phone records of Trump administration officials, including Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, back in April post reported.

The House of Representatives cannot criminally indict anyone, but the Justice Department has also never filed indictments against a former president.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has been criticized by some quarters for not being aggressive enough. But speaking to NBC News on Tuesday night, Garland warned he will hold anyone “criminal responsible for the events surrounding January 6th accountable for any attempt to disrupt the legitimate transfer of power from one government to another.”

“We pursue justice without fear or favor. We don’t care about other issues.”

He said that if Trump were to become president again, we would hold everyone criminally responsible accountable.”

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) Tuesday night commended Garland for acknowledging “a broader investigation into the conspiracy to end the peaceful transfer of power.”

“I would hope that if the department really follows the evidence where it leads, they will realize that it led to Donald Trump,” he said on MSNBC.

The news comes just hours after Trump returned to Washington to deliver his first speech in DC since leaving office.

“We have become a beggar nation, crawling to other countries for energy, millions of illegal aliens are storming across our wide-open borders and pouring into our country, it’s an invasion,” he claimed.

“Historical humiliation after historical humiliation is being inflicted on our country on the world stage.”

News of the investigation broke on Tuesday evening post, Trump has not commented on the matter in a statement or on his social media website Truth Social. Instead, he was busy posting clips of his speech earlier in the day.

Sources close to the former president who spoke to The Daily Beast say over the past week he has become increasingly frustrated with the House’s January 6 Committee.

Trump frequently rails against the “one-sided forum” and “kangaroo court” against anyone who will listen, a source said. “There is no courtroom in this country that would allow that,” added the same source close to Trump.