Former President Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that he expects to be detained in connection with the Manhattan District Attorney’s probe next week and has called for protests as authorities in New York prepare for an indictment.
Trump, alluding to himself, said in a social media post that the “leading Republican contender and former President of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week.”
“Protest, take back our country,” he wrote.
Meetings have been going on all week in New York City between city, state, and federal law enforcement agencies about how to prepare for a possible indictment of Trump in connection with a years-long investigation into a hush money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels, according to AWN’s John Miller.
Any indictment of the former President, who is seeking for reelection in 2024, would be a historic first and would dramatically alter the political debate surrounding an already controversial figure. While Trump has a long history of civil litigation, both before and after entering office, a criminal prosecution would be a major escalation of his legal difficulties as he attempts to reclaim the presidency.
While Trump did not elaborate on why he expected to be indicted, his legal team has been anticipating it and prepared behind the scenes for the next steps. The former president is due to appear in Manhattan following the official accusations, and he has expressed interest in giving a speech afterwards, though whether he does so remains to be seen.
A Trump spokesperson claimed on Saturday that the former President had not received notification from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office about any prospective charge, but that he was “rightfully underlining his innocence” in his message.
On Saturday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office declined to comment.
According to a source acquainted with Trump’s comments, Trump has privately expressed his belief that he will only be indicted because Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “hates” him.
His call for a demonstration in response to a possible arrest parallels his final days in office, when he urged followers to reject the results of the 2020 presidential election, culminating in the deadly January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Some of Trump’s aides privately encouraged him not to call for protests, fearing the optics of a big rally in Manhattan’s streets spiralling out of hand or resembling the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
The discussions have centred on how to negotiate the likelihood of a criminal charge being indicted by a New York county grand jury, as well as the choreography surrounding the possibility of an unprecedented arrest of a former president of the United States. Following Trump’s posts on Saturday, the New York Police Department did not immediately respond to AWN’s query.
Trump’s US Secret Service detail would transport him to the Manhattan district attorney’s office for fingerprinting and mugshots at detective squad offices. Following arrest processing, the former president would be brought directly to an arraignment before a judge, where he would most likely be freed on his own recognisance, as is common in cases where a defendant is allowed to voluntarily surrender.
Several concerns have been raised in the planning process, according to law enforcement officials who have been briefed on the discussions, including courthouse security and the possibility of demonstrations or rallies outside the courthouse by Trump supporters or counter-demonstrations by anti-Trump protesters, with the risk of the two groups clashing.
