Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that he will be arrested on Tuesday in the ongoing criminal investigation over his alleged payments to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. “THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!,” Trump posted on his social media app at 7:26 a.m., encouraging his supporters to stand behind him and coming close to the language he used preceding the Jan. 6 riot. There’s good reason to doubt Trump’s prediction. A spokesperson for the former president later dialed back his statement, saying there’s been no notification of an arrest from prosecutors. The New York Times reported that at least one more witness is expected to testify before the grand jury considering the charges in Manhattan. And sources told the paper that even if an indictment did come down Monday, logistics would likely delay an arrest beyond Tuesday. One of Trump’s lawyers, Susan Necheles, said his remark was a reaction to media coverage. “Since this is a political prosecution, the District Attorney’s office has engaged in a practice of leaking everything to the press, rather than communication with President Trump’s attorneys as would be done in a normal case,” Necheles said in a statement to the Washington Post.
via slate: So, Is Donald Trump About to Get Arrested? Here are the signals so far
siehe auch;: Trump Says He Will Be Arrested Tuesday, Calls For Protests Charges against the former president are expected in New York over alleged wrong-doing related to a hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Former President Donald Trump says that he’ll be arrested Tuesday and is calling on his followers to protest on his behalf. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that he is bracing for a possible arrest, following recent signs that the Manhattan District Attorney is gearing up to indict the former president for crimes related to attempts to cover up an alleged sexual affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. (…) Still, Trump’s own people seem to think Trump’s incendiary post may have gotten ahead of the facts. “There has been no notification, other than illegal leaks from the Justice Dept. and the DA’s office, to NBC and other fake news carriers, that the George Soros-funded Radical Left Democrat prosecutor in Manhattan has decided to take his Witch-Hunt to the next level. President Trump is rightfully highlighting his innocence and the weaponization of our injustice system,” a Trump spokesperson said in a text to VICE News. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has been investigating the broader circumstances under which Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen paid $130,000 to Daniels in exchange for her silence prior to the 2016 election, and whether Trump may have broken the law when Cohen was later reimbursed. Cohen says that Trump directed him to pay that money, with the goal of “influencing” the outcome of the election. Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in connection with the transfer of funds.
