Trump says he looks forward to being arrested on Tuesday, calls for protests

The former president of United States Donald Trump said on Saturday he expected to be arrested on Tuesday as prosecutors weighed allegations of bribery to silence a porn star, and urged his supporters to protest.

“Illegal leaks from a corrupt and highly political Manhattan District Attorney’s Office… indicate that, with no crime to be proven… the far and distant Republican candidate and former President of the United States of America will be arrested on Tuesday of next week,” Trump wrote in the Truth Social.

A spokesman for Trump said the former president was not notified of any arrests. Trump did not present evidence of leaks from the district attorney’s office and did not discuss the potential charges in his post.

“Protest, take back our nation!” said Trump, whose supporters stormed the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

The investigation comes at a critical time as Trump seeks the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

No US president – ​​during or after his term – has ever faced criminal charges. Trump has said he will continue to campaign even if he is accused of a crime.

Manhattan District Attorney spokesman Alvin Bragg, whose office has been investigating a $130,000 payment that Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels, declined to comment.