For the last two weeks, it’s been clear that Donald Trump is terrified of the ongoing investigations that are nearing potential indictments in Georgia and New York state courts. But it appears that it will be Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg who moves first … or at least, Trump thinks so.
Writing on his Truth Social media platform, Trump issued a rambling, largely incoherent claim that he will be arrested on Tuesday in connection to payments he made to two women in 2016. Trump has refused to testify in before the grand jury investigating those payments, which include $130,000 paid to adult film actor Stormy Daniels as apparent hush money to buy her silence during the campaign.
Message on Trump’s “truth social” platform predicting his arrest on Tuesday.
Officials in New York City are reportedly mounting a security review to prepare for potential violence that could result if Trump is arrested.
The potential for this arrest was discussed in a Associated Press article last week in which law enforcement officials were said to be planning for the possibility of an indictment which could involve bringing Trump back to New York and courtroom appearances. Reports have indicated that New York police are coordinating with the Secret Service over how to handle any arrest, transport, and handling of Trump.
On Friday, one of Trump’s attorneys told the New York Daily News that, should an indictment be issued, Trump would not refuse to surrender.
“There won’t be a standoff at Mar-a-Lago with Secret Service and the Manhattan DA’s office,” Joe Tacopina said.
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However, it’s not clear that statement really speaks for Trump. Considering the tone of his Saturday post, which has language very like that he used in advance of the January 6 insurgency, it’s not at all clear that Trump will board and plane and peacefully go along with law enforcement. What the Secret Service might do should Trump call on them to defend him from law enforcement is a scenario that likely hasn’t seen a lot of previous consideration.
Trump’s statement combines claims of his innocence with a call for protest and a demand to “take back our nation!” It’s clearly designed to stir up his base and generate unrest, if not an outright attempt to prevent his arrest. And he doesn’t fail to get a “George Soros” in there for the conspiracy buffs.
The AP reports that the district attorney’s office made no comment to confirm or deny Trump’s statement that an indictment is on its way. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has investigated several areas related to Trump’s business practices in additions to the payments made to Daniels and former model Karen McDougal. It’s possible that any indictment would include multiple charges related to his hush money payments, violations of campaign finance laws, and potentially unrelated business activities.
Progressives have had tremendous success passing all sorts of reforms at the ballot box in recent years, including measures that have expanded Medicaid, increased the minimum wage, and created independent redistricting commissions. How have Republicans responded? By making it harder to qualify measures for the ballot.
On this episode of The Downballot we take a deep dive on the GOP's war on ballot initiatives, which includes burdensome signature requirements that disproportionately impact liberals; ramping up the threshold for passage for citizen-backed measures but not those referred by legislatures; and simply repealing voter-passed laws Republicans don't like. But Republican power is not unfettered, and Stephen explains how progressives can fight back by defeating efforts to curtail ballot measures—many of which voters themselves would first have to approve.
