Former President Donald Trump is calling on his supporters to take action in response to reports that he may be indicted next week by a Manhattan grand jury.
“IT’S TIME!!!” Trump posted on social media Saturday afternoon, warning that the country is “being led into World War III by a crooked politician who doesn’t even know he’s alive, but who is surrounded by evil & sinister people.”
He urged his supporters to “protest, protest, protest,” citing concerns about “defunding the police, destroying our military, open borders, no voter I.D., inflation, raising taxes” and other issues.
Earlier in the day, Trump wrote on social media: “ILLEGAL LEAKS FROM A CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE … INDICATE THAT … THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK,” adding: “PROTEST…TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”
Reports surfaced Saturday that former President Donald Trump may be indicted next week in connection with a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The case involves allegations of an illegal hush money payment made by Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen prior to the 2016 presidential election.
“It’s illegal for a candidate for federal office to knowingly accept or pay off an individual with the intention of keeping information from being disclosed before an election,” said William Burke, a professor of political science from New York University.
Cohen confessed to his role in the payment and served time in prison for related charges, but questions remain about how the payment was reimbursed by Trump’s company. According to reports, the repayment was listed as a legal expense and the company cited a retainer agreement with Cohen, although no such agreement existed and the reimbursement was not related to any legal services from Cohen. Adding to this, several checks were reportedly signed by Trump himself while he held office as president.
“The situation presents difficult questions about criminal liability,” said Burke. “It raises concerns about whether federal laws have been violated.”
