Former President Donald Trump expressed his expectation of being arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday and asked his followers to demonstrate against his looming indictment.
In a post on Truth Social, he railed against what he called “ILLEGAL LEAKS FROM A CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE” and proclaimed in all caps, “THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”
He then followed up with a cry of “THEY’RE KILLING OUR NATION AS WE SIT BACK & WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA!PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!”
Trump is suspected of making a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. Daniels has contended that she had an affair with Trump in 2006, which Trump has denied.
The president once more asserted his innocence and called attention to Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s campaign that was heavily financed by liberal billionaire George Soros. If Trump is indicted, he will be the first president in the United States’ history to ever be charged with a crime after leaving office.
A spokesperson for Trump commented to reporters Saturday that there had been no notification from the Manhattan district attorney’s office and instead, there were only “illegal leaks from the Justice Department and the DA’s office” shared with NBC and other news outlets.
Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, added that they were not informed of anything and it was “very frustrating”. Trump’s attorney also pointed out that the Manhattan DA was conducting a politically motivated prosecution and was leaking information to the press instead of speaking to the lawyers.
It was reported that Daniels was paid the money by Trump’s former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to breaking federal campaign finance laws associated with the payment and was sentenced to three years in prison. Cohen, now free, told The Post Saturday that Trump’s statement was likely made because he had been contacted by the district attorney’s office. He also noted that Trump’s call to protest was similar to his pre-January 6th insurrection cry and he might be trying to stir up his base and profit from it.
In response to reports of a potential arrest of former President Donald Trump, numerous Republicans have come to his defense. Mike Pence, Trump’s former Vice President, stated his shock at the development of the situation, noting it to be similar to the “Russia hoax” and the “whole impeachment over a phone call”.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, pointed out that a Trump indictment would be a “national disaster”.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy demanded an “immediate” congressional investigation, while Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene insisted this was a “politically motivated prosecution”.
Ohio Senator J.D. Vance also weighed in, stating that an indictment would not make him reconsider his endorsement of Trump’s presidential bid.
Rep. Elise Stefanik called the reports of a possible arrest “unAmerican”, while Rep. Nicole Malliotakis condemned “rogue DA Alvin Bragg” for targeting Trump for “political reasons”.
Elon Musk also predicted a potential “landslide victory” for Trump should he be arrested.
However, other GOP presidential hopefuls such as Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have remained silent on the matter.
Negotiations are currently underway between law enforcement and the Secret Service regarding the terms of the arrest.
Trump’s legal advisers have urged him to request a remote appearance in court as opposed to an arrest, and Alan Dershowitz, Harvard law professor and former Trump attorney, has stated that a motion to dismiss is unlikely to succeed in New York. Jonathan Turley of George Washington University, however, called the case “legally pathetic”.