Donald Trump said he expected to be arrested on Tuesday and called on his supporters to protest, as Manhattan prosecutors continue to investigate allegations that the ex-president paid cash to buy the silence of a porn star.
Trump, who is campaigning as the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election, wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that he “will be arrested on Tuesday of next week,” citing unspecified leaks.
He claimed that “no crime” could be proven and that any action against him would be “based on an ancient and fully debunked . . . fairy tale”.
“PROTEST, TAKE BACK OUR NATION!” He posted.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which is believed to be handling the case, declined to comment.
Stormy Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, claimed to have had an affair with Trump. The pornographic actress sued the ex-president in 2018 for circumventing a non-disclosure agreement put in place shortly before the 2016 election.
Clifford was paid $130,000 through an entity created by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney. Cohen was sentenced in 2018 to three years in prison after pleading guilty to charges that included payment-related campaign finance violations.
The actress previously signed a statement saying she was not having an affair with the former president, which was presented to the media by Cohen. Clifford later claimed she had been threat to shut her up about it. Trump’s representatives have denied having an affair with Clifford.
The former president faces a series of legal challenges, including an investigation into potential mishandling of government records, led by a special advice, as well as an investigation into his efforts to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 election. Trump denies wrongdoing.
In December, the Trump Organization was sentenced of tax evasion in a criminal case being prosecuted by Manhattan prosecutors. In September, New York State Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump and three of his adult children for what she described as “exceptional” fraud, a case that could generate penalties of at least $250 million.
Additionally, a congressional committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 last year, said Trump should be for follow-up for contributing to the failure of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. He is also expected to be criminally charged with obstructing official government process, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and knowingly making false statements to authorities, the committee said.
In February of last year, the two lead prosecutors leading the Manhattan District Attorney’s criminal investigation resigned in a move that led some to speculate at the time that the district attorney’s office had taken a step back.
Several prominent Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, came to Trump’s defense on Saturday, accusing prosecutors of being politically motivated.
McCarthy, who has had a rollercoaster relationship with the former president in recent years, said in a tweet that he would ask Republican congressional committee chairs to “immediately investigate whether federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy. by interfering in elections with political motives. prosecutions”.
“Here we go again – an outrageous abuse of power by a radical prosecutor who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues his political revenge against President Trump,” McCarthy said.
Additional reporting by Joe Miller and Lauren Fedor