(CNN) — Former President Donald Trump said Saturday that he expects to be arrested in connection with an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney next week and has called for protests as a result.
In a social media post on Saturday, Trump, referring to himself, said, “The leading Republican candidate and former President of the United States will be arrested next week on Tuesday.”
“Resist, take back our nation,” he wrote.
While Trump did not provide any details as to why he would be fired, his legal team expected it to happen soon and was preparing behind the scenes for next steps. The former president is expected to appear in Manhattan after the formal charges, and he has since expressed interest in giving the speech, although it remains to be seen whether he will ultimately do so.
According to a source familiar with Trump’s statements, Trump has privately complained that he hopes Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Brock will be indicted only because he believes he “hates him.”
His response to the arrest echoes his last days, when he repeatedly urged his supporters to reject the results of the 2020 presidential election, which culminated in the deadly attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Some of Trump’s advisers have privately urged him not to call protests, such as the optics of a mass demonstration on the streets of Manhattan getting out of hand, or an attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
CNN previously reported that meetings between city, state and federal law enforcement agencies have been taking place in New York City throughout the week to prepare for a possible indictment against Trump.
Discussions include how to navigate a possible criminal indictment by a New York County grand jury and the choreography surrounding the possible unprecedented arrest of a former US president.
Trump’s U.S. Secret Service profile will transfer him to the Manhattan district attorney’s office for fingerprinting, then pick up mugshots at the offices of the district attorney’s detective team. As per the case law, in cases where a defendant is allowed to voluntarily turn himself in, after the arrest case, the former president will be taken directly to trial before a judge, where he will be released on parole.
Law enforcement officials privy to the deliberations said several concerns were discussed in the planning process, including the security of the courthouse and demonstrations or rallies by Trump supporters outside the courthouse or counterdemonstrations by anti-Trump protesters. The two groups are in danger of clashing.
“No notification”
Former President Donald Trump has not received notification of a possible indictment from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, a Trump spokesman said.
“Other than illegal leaks from the Department of Justice and the Attorney General’s Office, there is no announcement,” the spokesman said. “President Trump rightly exemplifies his innocence and the firings of our unjust system.”
The prosecutor’s office declined to comment on possible charges when reached by CNN on Saturday.
This report was made with information from Kristen Holmes.
