Former President Donald Trump announced this weekend that he expects to be arrested Tuesday in New York City in connection with a yearslong probe into alleged “hush money” paid to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
If the arrest goes through, it would be the first time in US history that a former president would be indicted.
Such a move would also have a major impact on Trump’s latest bid for re-election in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump wrote in the announcement posted to social media that the “leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week.” He added, “Protest, take our nation back.”
The former president gave no details about why he expected the arrest and according to multiple news outlets, his team had no received any notifications from prosecutors.
Trump was, however, invited to testify before a grand jury in New York City last week as part of the “hush money” investigation against him. He was not subpoenaed, however.
The former president wrote in a statement Thursday night on his Truth Social site that he “did absolutely nothing wrong.”
A spokesperson for Trump called the potential indictment a ‘political attack’ in a statement to NBC News.
“For the past five years, the DA’s office has been on a Witch Hunt, investigating every aspect of President Trump’s life and they’ve come up empty at every turn – and now this,” the spokesperson said. “The fact that after their intensive investigation t he DA is even considering a new political attack is a clear exoneration of President Trump in all areas.”
Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump.
I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by… https://t.co/elpbh7LeWn
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) March 18, 2023
“Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy wrote Saturday in a tweeted comment.
“I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who served in Trump’s administration, told Breitbart News in a radio interview Saturday that he was “taken aback,” and said the investigation “reeks [of] . . . political prosecution.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has declined to comment.
