(Trends Wide) — Former President Donald Trump said Saturday that he expects to be arrested in connection with the investigation by the Manhattan district attorney next week and has called protests as a result.
In a social media post Saturday, Trump, referring to himself, said that “the leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested Tuesday of next week.”
“Protest, take back our nation,” he wrote.
While Trump did not offer any details about why he expects to be impeached, his legal team anticipated it happening soon and has been preparing behind the scenes for the next steps. The former president is expected to appear in Manhattan after the formal indictments and has expressed interest in giving a speech afterwards, though whether he will actually do so remains to be seen.
Trump has privately complained that he believes he will only be charged because he believes Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “hates him,” according to a source familiar with what Trump said.
His call for a protest in response to a possible arrest echoes his last days in office when he repeatedly urged his supporters to reject the results of the 2020 presidential election, culminating in the deadly attack on January 6, 2021. against the United States Capitol.
Some of Trump’s advisers had privately urged him not to call protests, concerned about the optics of a mass protest on the streets of Manhattan getting out of hand or resembling the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol. Joined.
Trends Wide previously reported that meetings have been taking place throughout the week between city, state and federal law enforcement agencies in New York City about preparing for a possible impeachment against Trump.
Discussions have turned to how to navigate the possible indictment of a criminal charge by a New York County grand jury and the choreography around the possibility of an unprecedented arrest of a former United States president.
City, state and federal law enforcement agencies meet to prepare for possible impeachment against Trump
Trump’s US Secret Service detail would turn him over to the Manhattan district attorney’s office for fingerprinting and then mug shots at the offices of the district attorney’s detective squad. As is customary in cases where a defendant is allowed to surrender voluntarily, after the arrest prosecution, the former president would be taken directly to an arraignment before a judge, where he would likely be released on his own recognizance.
Law enforcement officials privy to the discussions said several concerns have been discussed in the planning process, including the security of the courthouse 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.
“There has been no notification”
Former President Donald Trump has not received notification from the Manhattan district attorney’s office regarding a possible indictment, according to a Trump spokesman.
“There has been no notification, apart from illegal leaks from the Department of Justice and the prosecutor’s office,” the spokesperson said. “President Trump is rightly highlighting his innocence and the gunplay of our system of injustice.”
The prosecutor’s office declined to comment on a possible indictment when reached by Trends Wide on Saturday.
One last witness is expected to testify on Monday.
While Donald Trump’s legal team has not heard from the Manhattan district attorney’s office about a possible indictment, the former president has been agitating his team to irritate his base and believes an indictment would help him politically, they told Trends Wide briefed several people on the matter.
Another witness is expected to testify Monday before a grand jury investigating alleged secret payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, according to a source familiar with the investigation. It is not clear if this would be the last witness before a vote on a possible indictment.
Trump’s defense team is expected to be notified after any possible indictment and would then engage in surrender negotiations and an initial appearance.
This report was made with information from Kristen Holmes and Paula Reid.
