Barricades are being erected outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of what many speculate will be the arrest of former President Donald Trump over an alleged six-figure hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claims the two had an affair.
If Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg proceeds, it will mark the first time in U.S. history that a former or sitting president has faced criminal charges.
In preparation for the potential arrest, New York authorities have mobilized 700 riot police officers, as city, state, and federal law enforcement agencies liaise to work out a strategy to handle widespread protests, The Mirror reports.
Ahead of rumors that former president Trump could soon be arrested in New York City, steel barricades are being erected outside the Manhattan Criminal Court. pic.twitter.com/aMR6oLcoSl
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) March 20, 2023
Over the weekend, Trump fired off a series of messages on his social media network Truth Social predicting he would be arrested on Tuesday March 11, and blasting Bragg, who previously indicted Trump-ally Steve Bannon.
Trump called the Manhattan District Attorney’s office corrupt and asked his supporters to protest if Bragg proceeds with a formal indictment.
Bragg addressed Trump’s comments in an internal e-mail to staffers, saying the DA’s office will not tolerate intimidation.
“We have full confidence in our outstanding security staff and investigators, along with our great OCA and NYPD colleagues, and will continue to coordinate with all of them,” he wrote. “We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.”
I’m response, Trump reminded his 4.9 million followers that Bragg previously worked as an attorney for former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, whose campaign funded a fake dossier used as the basis for FBI agents to lie to the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) and illegally obtain a warrant to spy on then-candidate Trump.
No one connected to the Clinton campaign or Democratic National Committee (DNC) was charged with a crime, and both organizations were hit with fines totaling about $113,000 for their involvement.
The New York Times reported that if arrested, Trump would be fingerprinted, photographed and could potentially be placed in handcuffs, which are routine steps during a felony arrest in New York.
