Donald Trump Expects Arrest Tuesday, Calls for Protests
Former US President Donald Trump said he expected to be “arrested” on Tuesday for silence money allegedly paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election, urging his supporters to protest.
Referring to a “leak” from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Trump wrote on his social platform Truth Social on Saturday morning: “The leading Republican candidate and former President of the United States of America will be arrested on Tuesday next week. Protest, take back our nation!”
Money paid to Stormy Daniels
The investigation focuses on $130,000 paid in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election to stop Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, from going public about an affair she says she had with Trump years ago.
Prosecutors are weighing whether to indict Trump in the case, and there are rumors that an indictment is likely to be filed.
Republican nomination under threat
If the Manhattan district attorney were to indict Trump, the 76-year-old would be the first former president to be charged with a crime. It will also improve his chances of winning the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election.
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Trump’s lawyer told CNBC Friday night that his client will turn himself in and face criminal charges if he is indicted by a Manhattan grand jury.
Trump denied having an affair with Daniels and called the investigation politically motivated.
In his all-caps post, Trump referred to “illegal leaks from the corrupt and highly political Manhattan prosecutor’s office” and said the investigation “is based on an old and completely debunked (by many other prosecutors!) tale.”
Invitation to testify
Daniels met with prosecutors on Wednesday and “agreed to act as a witness or for further investigation if necessary,” according to her attorney, Charles Brewster.
Earlier this month, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s team gave Trump the opportunity to testify, but he is expected to decline to avoid potential self-incrimination.
Experts say the invitation is a sign that he will almost certainly face charges.
Trump’s former lawyer-turned-Trump enemy Michael Cohen testified before a grand jury in New York on Monday. The payment to Daniels was made by Cohen, who said he was later given the money back.
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The fee, if not properly accounted for, can lead to a charge of the offense of falsifying business records. It may qualify as a criminal offense if the false reporting was intended to cover up a second offense such as campaign finance violations. New York Times reported.
Several criminal trials
Trump faces several criminal trials at the state and federal levels for possible wrongdoing before, during, and after his first term in office that threatened his re-run for the White House.
In Georgia, a prosecutor is investigating attempts by Trump and his allies to undo his defeat in the 2020 election in the southern state. The grand jury in this case has recommended multiple indictments, the foreman said last month.
The former president is also the subject of a federal investigation into his handling of classified documents, as well as his possible involvement in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.