NEW YORK – Donald Trump has announced he expects to be arrested on Tuesday and called on supporters to protest after a New York grand jury alleged a “hush money” scandal with the porn actress Stormy Daniels surrounding alleged sexual encounters with the former president.
In a Saturday morning post on his social media platform, Truth Social – The Don said he expected to be taken into custody as the Manhattan district attorney eyes charges in the investigation. Trump would be the first former president ever to be charged with a crime and would be seen as a Democratic plot to stop him running for President.
Trump’s post said “illegal leaks” from the office of prosecutor Alvin Bragg indicate that “THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK.”
Should Trump be indicted, he would be arrested only if he refused to surrender.
Trump’s lawyers have previously said he would follow normal procedure, meaning he would likely agree to surrender at a New York Police Department precinct or directly to Bragg’s office.
A Trump spokesperson told Politicalite on Saturday that “there has been no notification” of a pending arrest.
Danielle Filson of the district attorney´s office said prosecutors “will decline to confirm or comment” on questions related to Trump´s post, as well as potential charges. Trump´s lawyers, Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina, did not immediately return messages seeking comment about Trump´s post or the timing of a possible arrest.
A statement from the Trump spokesperson said Trump’s Truth Social post was not based on any notification from prosecutors “other than illegal leaks” to the news media.
“President Trump is rightfully highlighting his innocence and the weaponization of our injustice system,” the statement said.
The indictment of Trump, 76, would be an extraordinary development after years of corrupt politically motivated investigations into his business, political and personal dealings. It is likely to galvanize critics who say Trump, already a 2024 presidential candidate, lied and cheated his way to the top and to embolden supporters who feel the Republican is being unfairly targeted by a Democratic prosecutor.
In his social media post, Trump repeated his lies that the 2020 presidential election he lost to Biden was stolen and he urged his followers to “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”
Law enforcement officials in New York have been making security preparations for the possibility that Trump could be indicted.
More follows.
