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Manhattan prosecutors are believed to be considering indicting Trump for falsifying business records in connection with a hush payment his lawyer made to an adult film actress in 2016. He denounced the investigation as politically motivated.
A grand jury is investigating the matter, but no decision has been announced and it remains unclear when the panel will indict Trump.
The case is unlikely for both Trump, who has announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, and Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who bills himself as perhaps the nation’s most prominent prosecutor. It emerges as an inflection point.
In New York, law enforcement and court officials are trying to plan security measures and logistics for a former president who may appear in court only after he faces criminal charges.
They are also expected to try to find ways to control the swarms of demonstrators that may surround the lower Manhattan courthouse where he may appear. A sign was seen outside the building was seen Unloaded and built nearby.
New York officials did not recognize a credible threat Monday night. Officials said they were not given any information.
A person familiar with the security debate said New York state police are expected to be stationed around the courthouse starting Tuesday.
“They are worried about both pro-Trump and anti-Trump demonstrators who are just weirdos in the streets,” said the person, who asked to remain anonymous to hear part of the confidential discussion. “They see this as an opportunity to attack someone.”
But Mr Trump’s arrest will ripple across the country, raising the possibility of other demonstrations. Trump supporters are calling for pro-Trump rallies and events in New York and Palm Beach on Monday and near Phoenix and Detroit on Tuesday.
Trump’s protest requests spread online, with users on some extremist forums responding enthusiastically to Trump’s call. Some users called for violence against Bragg, the first black man to be elected Manhattan District Attorney, and law enforcement. They also suggested ways to stop the authorities from arresting Trump.
Much of the exchange revolved around a popular pro-Trump site that hosted plans to besiege the Capitol on January 6, 2021, with some commenters explicitly citing the attack. Among the messages included ludicrous descriptions of destruction and political retribution, such as the need to “burn the government” and loot the “blue” parts of the country.
But according to Daniel J. Jones, president of Advance Democracy, a nonprofit that tracks extremism, it didn’t appear to include “a concrete plan to engage in mass violence.” Jones He said Trump’s call to protest “led to threats of violence against government officials and law enforcement.”
Some far-right groups seem to base their caution on what happened after January 6th. In some posts on his Telegram chat, the far-right had people urging others not to protest, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks online extremism. In one post, a user called the situation a trap, referring to January 6th saying: He threw everyone under the bus. ”
Bragg was seemingly alluded to in a message to his office over the weekend Responding to Trump’s protest call, he told staff, “Your safety is our number one priority.” In a message first reported by Politico, Bragg wrote that law enforcement officials would ensure that “specific or credible threats to the office are fully investigated.”
Reactions to Trump’s online calls to protest have been spotty, not uniform, according to extremism researchers. Don’t do it,” said Oren Segal, deputy director of the Anti-Extremism Center. – Defamation League.
But Segal said., Trump’s remarks could lead to individuals showing disinterest in protests and “potentially engaging in violence and other harmful activities.”
Federal officials have acknowledged the potentially dangerous situation. Asked about the Trump protests, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said officials were “always monitoring the situation here.”
Kirby told Fox News over the weekend, “We obviously don’t want to see any activity turn violent.”
Outside of New York, other officials have said virtually the same thing, including in locations associated with Trump and where investigations into him are ongoing.
In Atlanta, Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis, a Democrat, is conducting a lengthy investigation into whether Trump and his allies broke the law in an attempt to overturn the 2020 Georgia election results. , will announce whether there are any allegations in the coming weeks. result. Willis also said she and her office received threats last year related to Trump investigations and other high-profile cases.
The investigation has already increased security around the courthouse. A special grand jury last year heard testimony from 75 of his witnesses as part of its investigation and called for increased security measures around the building, including law enforcement officers armed with AR-15-style rifles and bomb-sniffing dogs. urged.
State and local law enforcement officials, not only because of the ongoing threats, but also in light of the building’s proximity to the Georgia State Capitol across the street, had issued a statement prior to announcing the decision on potential indictments. Planning security procedures around the courthouse. A person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private security issues.
Officials are monitoring developments in New York following Trump’s social media messages calling for protests, the person said.
An Atlanta police spokesman declined to comment on the security plan, but said police were “aware of the potential for protests” and “will continue to monitor.” A spokesman for the Georgia Patrol likewise said it was “monitoring” the situation.
Trump’s message on Saturday predicting his arrest was written from Mar-a-Lago, his residence and private club in Palm Beach. His attorney said remarks about the timing of his arrest were drawn from media reports, and a spokesman said no notice of charges had been filed.
Palm Beach police confirmed Monday that they had been monitoring matters in the area on Tuesday when Trump said he would be arrested.
“We see the same thing on social media, so we recognize the potential,” said Major John Scanlon of the Palm Beach Police Department. “But in terms of clear plans, I have the same impression as everyone else that tomorrow something may or may not happen. are being arranged.”
Last summer, the FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence for classified documents, and hundreds of Trump supporters gathered nearby without any unusual incidents, Scanlon said.
There is no public parking near Mar-a-Lago, so Trump supporters and opponents typically park in West Palm Beach and cross the bridge to Palm Beach. A West Palm Beach Police spokesman said, “We hear a lot of buzz on social media,” and said police were “ready for anything.”
Trump denied wrongdoing in the Manhattan case and attacked Bragg in a series of all-caps messages on social media, accusing him of “prosecutorial misconduct.” And he’s about to put together a hush-money investigation with others who are scrutinizing him, including his handling of classified material and an ongoing investigation into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election he lost. , dismissing them as a system to undermine his campaign.
In New York, prosecutors are investigating charges related to $130,000 paid by Trump’s former lawyer and close friend Michael Cohen to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, before the 2016 election. It is believed that there are
Daniels has been telling People she had an affair with Trump, something he has long denied. Cohen admitted making the payment, saying she intended it to influence the 2016 election.
Jacobs reported from New York. Holly Bailey, Lori Rozsa, Josh Dawsey, Isaac Stanley-Becker, Emily Davies, Ellie Silverman, and Patrick Marley contributed to this report.
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