Donald Trump says he will be arrested and calls for demonstrations

UPDATE DAY

Donald Trump assured his social network Truth Social on Saturday that he would be “arrested” on Tuesday and called for protests, ahead of a possible indictment in a 2016 payment case aimed at buying the silence of a pornographic actress with whom he allegedly had an affair. 

Referring to a “leak” from the New York State prosecutor's office, for the district of Manhattan, the former American president wrote in capital letters: “The candidate of the Republican party very far ahead [his rivals in the primary, Editor's note] and former President of the United States of America will be arrested on Tuesday of next week. Demonstrate, take back our nation!”

Signs and rumors have been multiplying for a few days on a possible criminal indictment of Donald Trump by a grand jury – a panel of citizens with broad investigative powers and responsible for ratifying an indictment – in this phase of investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democratic magistrate.

It would be a first for a former US president.

On Friday, one of Donald Trump's lawyers, Joseph Tacopina, had indicated to the media that his client would “surrender” to the New York justice system if he were to be charged.

A payment of 130,000 dollars

Targeted in several court cases, but never yet charged, the former Republican president (2017-2021) and presidential candidate of 2024 could therefore see this threat materialized in court in New York, because of a payment in 2016 to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford.

Last week, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former personal lawyer who became one of his worst enemies, testified at least in twice before the grand jury in this investigation related to a non-disclosure agreement concerning Ms. Clifford.

The investigations of the New York prosecutors focus on the payment in 2016 of $ 130,000 by Michael Cohen to the pornographic actress to buy her silence on an alleged relationship she allegedly had with Donald Trump.

Former supporter of the Republican billionaire, Michael Cohen has already been convicted in this case.

Convinced that the 2020 election had been “stolen” from him by Joe Biden, Donald Trump had already called on his supporters to mobilize ahead of January 6, 2021, stoking the political crisis that culminated in the assault on Capitol Hill, where Congress sits, by his supporters.

On December 19, 2020, in a tweet, the former businessman had called on the crowd to gather in the American capital during the certification of the victory of Joe Biden. “Big demonstration in Washington on January 6th. Be there, it will be crazy,” he wrote on Twitter, his favorite megaphone, before being banned.

The same day, during a speech, he called on his supporters to to “fight like the devils”.