Former President That’s what Donald Trump predicted on Saturday morning that he will be arrested next Tuesday for his role in the manufacture alleged $130,000 hush money payment to a adult film actress in the waning days the 2016 election to silence them over allegations She was having an affair with him.
A spokesman said Trump had not received any specific notification that he would be charged.
Speculation about Trump’s potential legal troubles as a Manhattan DA’s investigation nears its conclusion has law enforcement and the political world on edge. If Trump’s claims prove true, it would be the first time in US history that a former president has been prosecuted, legal experts say.
Will he be taken into custody soon or indicted by a grand jury? Here’s what we know:
That’s why Trump’s indictment could be imminent
Trump says he will still run for president if indicted in one of several ongoing investigations into his conduct. But in one of those investigations — the hush money case in New York — there’s new evidence that criminal charges may be imminent, according to new information that came to light this week.
Trump himself predicted on his Social media site Truth Social that he will be arrested Tuesday in connection with the Manhattan Attorney’s Office investigation and urged his supporters to protest ahead of a possible indictment by the grand jury hearing evidence in the case.
Trump has denied wrongdoing, and federal investigators ended their own probe into the payments in 2019.
Danielle Filson, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan Attorney’s Office, declined to comment on Trump’s testimony on Saturday. But there are other indications that an indictment could be imminent.
Cohen, Trump’s longtime attorney and fixer, spent two days last week testifying before the grand jury against his former boss. Cohen, who has served a prison sentence in connection with this and other cases, reiterated his claim that Trump personally instructed him to pay Daniels so his chances of defeating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election would not be hurt.
A source familiar with the investigation told USA TODAY that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his team are relying on a wealth of evidence to support Cohen’s testimony.
These include quantities of emails, texts and other documents collected during the search warrants on Cohen’s premises and electronic equipment, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
Daniels, who claimed to have had an affair with Trump in 2006, was also asked by prosecutors from Bragg’s office to meet with them and did so with her attorney by Zoom last Wednesday.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, also agreed to testify before the grand jury — and during a trial if Trump is ultimately charged with a crime related to the payments.
A second source familiar with the investigation said at least seven prosecutors and prosecutors’ investigators were involved in discussions with Daniels and her attorney, and that she is willing to share some form of her own corroborating documentation from the period in question.
Daniels’ attorney, Clark Brewster, told USA TODAY he could not comment on what he and Daniels discussed with prosecutors. But he said it wasn’t the first time he’d contacted them about the case during his representation for Daniels, which began in 2019.
Brewster did not comment on whether Daniels has actually testified or been ordered to testify before the Manhattan grand jury that would indict the case.
But Brewster said Daniels “would make an excellent witness,” citing her cooperation and testimony at the trial of her former attorney, Michael Avenatti.
Trump himself has been invited to testify before the grand jury, which prosecutors say is a sure sign the investigation is in its final stages and likely to result in an indictment. After the invitation broke, Trump’s own attorney in the case, Joe Tacopina, acknowledged the possibility of impeachment.
“You know, I think it’s becoming more likely now,” Tacopina said in an interview with News Nation Tuesday night, adding, “But the one thing I’m still holding on to is hope that justice will prevail.” “
Trump himself has admitted in recent days that he made the payment to prevent Daniels from going public with an alleged affair with him just before the election. Trump had previously denied his complicity in a series of public statements.
“I have done absolutely nothing wrong, I have never had an affair with Stormy Daniels, nor would I have wanted to have an affair with Stormy Daniels,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “I have relied on an attorney to get this blackmail rid of me.”
Some former prosecutors, including Glenn Kirschner and Paul Pelletier, told USA TODAY that such comments could potentially implicate Trump in the alleged criminal misconduct being investigated by prosecutors, including illegal campaign contributions.
Will Trump be handcuffed and arrested if charged?
Kirschner told USA TODAY on Saturday that authorities often negotiate the surrender of a high-profile defendant like Trump to avoid the spectacle of a “perp walk,” where the person is paraded in front of the media as they enter the courthouse or police station .
“There will be no reason to handcuff him and take him to police headquarters to be booked,” Kirschner said of a mug shot of a former president of the United States, but I don’t think we’ll see a perpetrator.”
Trump’s spokesman told USA TODAY there had been “no notification” as to the timing of possible criminal charges. But the former president’s call for protests caused concern among law enforcement agencies involved in preparing such an event.
Calling for demonstrations, an official familiar with the arrangements said, could immediately require a larger security base in New York and more agents tasked with shadowing the former president’s movements.
Will Trump’s call for supporter protests lead to violence?
Kirschner said authorities should take Trump’s call to action seriously, as it could potentially lead to the widespread rioting that took place in the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“This is a game straight out of Trump’s playbook,” Kirschner said. “We started with ‘Stand back, standby.’ We then moved on to “Come to DC on January 6th, it’s going to be wild”. Now we have ‘Come to Manhattan for my indictment. Protest, take back our country.'”
But Kirschner said he doubts Trump’s efforts will produce the same result this time.
“On January 6, people were hurt because they were told their vote had been stolen. So they took it personally. Here. I don’t think there is such personal motivation as there was on January 6,” said Kirschner.
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Featuring: Ella Lee, David Jackson, Kevin Johnson
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What we know about whether Donald Trump will be impeached.
Source : news.yahoo.com