Donald Trump has stated that he anticipates being detained on Tuesday and has urged his supporters to organize massive demonstrations.
His attorney said law enforcement hadn’t contacted him and that the former president’s remark was based on media reports.
Mr. Trump has been investigated for possible indictment by prosecutors. According to reports, it may occur next week.
If he is indicted, it will be the first time a former US president has been charged with a crime.
Mr. Trump’s counsel allegedly paid Stormy Daniels hush money before the 2016 presidential election.
The 76-year-old is under investigation in numerous cases but denies wrongdoing.
Mr. Trump will run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 even if indicted.
An indictment could have a similar effect as previous investigations. Such as two impeachment trials, the Russia investigation, and the Mar-a-Lago raid.
He may be charged this week, but details are unclear.
With the former president predicting an arrest and advocating for mass demonstrations, however, this is uncharted territory.
The 6 January 2021 assault on the US Capitol by Mr. Trump’s supporters in response to his repeated calls to protest demonstrates that tense situations can rapidly escalate into violence.
Mr. Trump wrote on his social networking site Truth Social on Saturday that “illegal leaks” from the office of the Manhattan district attorney “indicate” he will be detained on Tuesday.
The office of the district attorney has not yet commented. Susan Necheles, Mr. Trump’s attorney, stated that her team had not heard anything from law enforcement officials.
“Because this is a political prosecution, the district attorney’s office has been leaking information to the press instead of communicating with President Trump’s attorneys as they would in a normal case,” she said.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called the probe “an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA.”
In a tweet, he also pledged to investigate whether federal funds were used to influence elections “through politically motivated prosecutions.”
Any indictment would create a difficult calculus for Mr. Trump’s Republican Party rivals, who would have to decide whether to increase their assaults on the former president while he is potentially distracted or to remain silent and hope for the best.
If history is any indication, the latter will occur.
Trump repaid Cohen for Ms. Daniels’ $130,000 in the Stormy Daniels case. The reimbursement documentation for Cohen indicates that the payment was for “legal fees.” In New York, falsifying business records is a misdemeanor, which prosecutors may equate to Mr. Trump’s actions.
US media outlets report that New York law enforcement agencies are preparing for the possibility that Donald Trump will be indicted and appear in court in Manhattan as early as next week.
The Associated Press reports that they are contemplating the logistics of bringing a former president to court, including security concerns.
Attempts to overturn Donald Trump’s narrow loss in Georgia in the 2020 presidential election are the subject of a distinct criminal investigation, though it is unknown whether the former president is being directly investigated.
The Justice Department is also investigating whether classified government documents were improperly handled after Mr. Trump left office, as well as broader efforts to undermine the results of the 2016 presidential election, including the 6 January attack.
