March 18, 2023 at 2:02 p.m. GMT
Updated 26 minutes ago
Image source, Getty Images
Former US President Donald Trump expects his arrest on Tuesday in a case of alleged hush money payments to an ex-porn star.
Mr Trump urged his supporters to protest such a move in a post on his platform Truth Social.
One of Mr Trump’s lawyers said his allegation was based on media reports he could be indicted next week.
Should Mr Trump be indicted, it would be the first criminal case ever brought against a former US President.
It would also have serious implications for his campaign to become the Republican presidential nominee in the 2024 presidential election.
For five years, prosecutors in New York have been investigating allegations that hush money was paid to former porn star Stormy Daniels on behalf of Mr Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Ms Daniels says she was paid $130,000 (£107,000) by Mr Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, in exchange for keeping quiet about an alleged affair ahead of the 2016 election. Mr Trump denies they had sexual relations and has dismissed the case as politically motivated.
It is one of several cases in which the 76-year-old is currently being investigated, although he has not been charged in any case and denies any wrongdoing.
On Saturday, Mr Trump wrote on his social networking site Truth Social that “illegal leaks” from the Manhattan DA’s office “indicate” he would be arrested on Tuesday.
The public prosecutor’s office has not yet commented. Mr Trump’s lawyer, Susan Necheles, told CBS News, the BBC’s US affiliate, that his post was “based on media reports”.
Image source, Getty Images
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The Stormy Daniels case is one of several legal issues facing the former US President
“Because this is a political prosecution, prosecutors have adopted the practice of leaking everything to the press, rather than communicating with President Trump’s attorneys as they would in a normal case,” she said.
US media organizations say law enforcement in New York is bracing for the possibility that Mr Trump will be charged and appear in a Manhattan courtroom as soon as next week.
There were signs the Stormy Daniels case was moving forward when earlier this month Mr Trump was invited to testify before a grand jury – which is determining whether there is enough evidence to charge in a case.
The hearings are being held in secret and several of Mr Trump’s former advisers have reportedly testified in the case.
Experts believe the offer to testify suggests he could soon face criminal charges – but it’s not clear what those might be.
Law enforcement officials are considering the practicalities of bringing a former president to justice, including security issues, according to the Associated Press.
Another attorney for Mr Trump, Joseph Tacopina, told the news outlet “we will follow normal procedures” if he is charged.
