Trump says he’ll be arrested in NYC Tuesday; calls for protests to ‘take our natioon back’
Former President Donald Trump said he will be arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday — and called on his supporters to protest his expected arraignment.
“The far & away leading Republican candidate & former president of the United States of America will be arrested on Tuesday of next week,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website Saturday.
“Protest, take our nation back!”
Trump’s words were frighteningly similar to the call to action he made in January 2021 when his fiery speeches and tweets spurred a riot at the U.S. capitol on Jan. 6.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is believed to be on the cusp of nearing a charging decision in his office’s long-running investigation into Trump, his business dealings, and the infamous hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
In Saturday’s social media tirade, Trump said that Bragg is “funded by George Soros” and the investigation was “based on an old & fully debunked (by numerous other prosecutors!) fairytale.”
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He also took a swipe at Bragg’s handling of the state’s bail reform laws, claiming that his office “has allowed new records to be set in violent crime.”
State court officials and the NYPD on Friday were discussing how best to handle Trump’s arrest if a grand jury files charges against him. The Manhattan D.A.’s office declined to comment Friday.
Grand jury proceedings are confidential, and it is not known whether the group impaneled in January will vote to indict Trump. If it does, the criminal case will mark the first against a former president in American history.
If Trump is charged, he must surrender to New York authorities and appear in court to enter a plea to the charges. A judge could theoretically agree to conduct the hearing remotely, but no criminal defendants are being arraigned virtually at present, according to Lucian Chalfen from the Office of Court Administration.
Trump will not refuse to surrender if the Manhattan district attorney criminally indicts him, his lawyer told the Daily News Friday.
“There won’t be a standoff at Mar-a-Lago with Secret Service and the Manhattan DA’s office,” Joe Tacopina said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.