- New York police stepped up security on Monday ahead of a possible historic indictment of Donald Trump over hidden money paid to a porn actress.
- However, only a few dozen Trump supporters attended a protest in the US financial capital on Monday night.
- Trump would become the first former president or sitting president to be charged with a crime if an indictment were filed.
New York police stepped up security on Monday ahead of a possible historic indictment of Donald Trump over silent money paid to a porn actress, with the ex-president calling for mass protests if charged.
However, only a few dozen Trump supporters attended a protest in the US financial capital on Monday night as a grand jury weighs an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg into the 2016 payment to Stormy Daniels.
Trump would become the first former president or sitting president to be charged with a crime if an indictment were filed – a move that would send shockwaves into the 2024 White House race, in which the man 76-year-old presents himself to regain his duties.
Bragg, an elected Democrat, has not publicly confirmed any plans but has put key witnesses before the jury in recent weeks and offered Trump the opportunity to testify.
Trump said over the weekend that he expected to be “arrested” on Tuesday and urged his supporters to “protest, take back our nation!” although his attorney said the comments were based on news reports and not further action by prosecutors.
Some US media said the panel could vote to indict when it returns on Wednesday after questioning its last witness, attorney Robert Costello, on Monday.
The NYPD braced for an unprecedented arrest, which would see an ex-US leader fingerprinted and possibly even handcuffed, erecting barricades outside Bragg’s office and the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. .
More than a dozen senior police officials met with mayoral aides on Sunday to discuss security and emergency plans for the protests, The New York Times reported.
NBC News said police and other law enforcement have conducted “preliminary security assessments,” including placing a security perimeter around the Manhattan Criminal Court where Trump will likely appear before a judge.
Senior Democrats have warned Trump’s pleas could spark a repeat of the violence his supporters unleashed on the US Capitol in January 2021.
In an online group named “The Donald,” some Trump supporters have called for a “national strike” and “Civil War 2.0” to protect Trump and protest any arrests.
But there was no indication of a big move and Trump figureheads such as his sons and leading commentators did not openly call for action in the streets as they did after the election. of 2020, when President Joe Biden defeated Trump.
A small protest organized by the New York Young Republican Club in lower Manhattan passed off peacefully.
Trump’s many legal setbacks
Bragg’s investigation relates to $130,000 paid weeks before the 2016 election to stop Daniels from going public with an affair she says she had with Trump years earlier.
Trump’s ex-lawyer-turned-enemy Michael Cohen said he made the payment and was later reimbursed.
The payment to Daniels, if not properly accounted for, could result in a misdemeanor charge for falsifying business records.
It could qualify as a felony if the false accounting was intended to cover up a second crime, such as a campaign finance violation.
Cohen testified before the grand jury last week, while Daniels is cooperating with prosecutors.
An indictment would begin a long process that could take several months as the case faces a mountain of legal issues and moves towards jury selection.
Trump denied having an affair with Daniels and called the investigation a “witch hunt.” Its Vice President Mike Pence described the investigation as a “politically charged prosecution”.
Trump faces multiple state and federal criminal investigations into possible wrongdoing that threatens his new run for the White House.
In Georgia, a prosecutor is investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to reverse his 2020 election defeat in the southern state. The grand jury in that case recommended multiple indictments, the foreman revealed last month.
The former president is also under federal investigation into his handling of classified documents as well as his possible involvement in the Jan. 6 riots.
Some observers believe an indictment bodes ill for Trump’s chances in 2024, while others say it could bolster his support.
