Donald Trump has maintained his innocence and isn’t buying the narrative of some Republicans who are defending him, saying the alleged hush money payments he made to Stormy Daniels are a “misdemeanor” at best.
The former president said Sunday that there had been “no crime” and reversed the Manhattan DA’s script and called for Democratic prosecutors to be investigated for “meddling” in the presidential election.
Prosecutors argue that he violated a New York law prohibiting the falsification of business records by marking a $130,000 payment to Daniels as “legal expenses.”
Trump said he expects to be arrested as early as Tuesday on New York state charges related to a payment he made ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Meanwhile, the White House claims it is not preparing for violence this week in the wake of a possible indictment – and the ex-president is urging his supporters to “protest, protest, protest”.
Former President Donald Trump insisted in a post on Truth Social Sunday that he was not guilty of any crimes. He is pictured here waving at the NCAA Division 1 wrestling championships on Saturday
In his lengthy post on Sunday, Trump lashed out at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg
“We’re always monitoring the situation here as best we can,” John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, said during an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
“And of course we don’t want any activity to turn violent – certainly not on the scale that we saw on January 6,” he added. “But we’re watching it. Of course we’re watching it closely.”
In his lengthy post on Sunday, Trump lashed out at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is expected to indict the former president on criminal charges in the coming days.
“When Alvin Bragg took office, he made it very clear that like many other prosecutors, there would be no trial of Donald J. Trump,” he wrote. “Then the Biden administration, the Democrats and the fake news media started pushing him and pushing him hard, and lo and behold he said maybe there might be a case after all.
“I knew what that meant — he was being pushed into doing something that shouldn’t be done,” Trump claimed. “He wasn’t ready to oppose Soros and the Marxists who are destroying our country!”
Then, in a follow-up post, Trump insisted that there was “no crime, period.”
“Everyone else of the many Democratic law enforcement officers who looked at it made a pass,” he noted. “Cy Vance as well as Bragg. But then much of the latter [sic]. he changed his mind. Gosh, I wonder why?’
At the time, Trump accused Bragg of “prosecutorial misconduct” and “interference in an election” when he called for an investigation into Bragg’s investigation.
New York prosecutors had previously presented evidence to a New York grand jury for paying Daniels $130,000 in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair.
The payment was listed as “legal fees,” which Bragg’s office said violates New York City statutes that prohibit the forgery of business records.
Trump has repeatedly denied those claims, and his attorney has accused Daniels – real name Stephanie Clifford – of racketeering.
However, he refused to testify before the grand jury in his case.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is said to be on the verge of indicting the former president for paying hush money to Stormy Daniels
Daniels came forward to discuss the affair and detailed how she received $130,000 from the Trump campaign
Former President Trump has urged his supporters to “protest” as he claims he expects to be arrested as soon as Tuesday
Supporters of the former president, including some key Republican 2024 rivals, claim that impeaching Trump would be a “misdemeanor.” They say he’s only being treated harshly because Trump is a leading voice in the opposition party of rulers in New York and in the White House.
Trump claimed Sunday he was not guilty of any crime, not even a misdemeanor, as he criticized “prosecutorial misconduct and interference in an election.”
“Check the investigators,” he urged.
His post comes as White House officials claim they are not preparing for unrest if the former president is arrested.
Asked if White House staffers were concerned about security concerns in Washington, DC this week, Kirby replied, “I am not aware of any evidence that we are preparing for this type of activity specifically in relation to these comments.”
“But obviously we are working hand-in-hand with local and state authorities across the country and will continue to monitor this as best we can,” he added to Fox News Sunday guest host Mike Emanuel.
Kirby said they are closely monitoring the situation and hope they remain peaceful in the event of protests.
National Security Adviser John Kirby said there was no evidence the White House was preparing for a massive riot
Trump previously claimed on his Truth Social platform that he expects to be arrested as early as Tuesday as he urged his supporters to “protest to take back our nation.”
Some have already heeded that advice, planning a moat around Mar-a-Lago in South Florida to prevent his arrest, while others gathered outside Trump Tower in Manhattan.
The NYPD is now said to be preparing to deploy its “Strategic Response Group,” which consists of 700 members trained in “disaster response.”
And if necessary, officials said, they could escalate the situation by deploying a Level 4 alert – which would put eight police officers and one sergeant on standby in every precinct across New York City.
But speaking to FOX News on Sunday, National Security Adviser John Kirby said there was no sign the White House was preparing for massive unrest.
When asked if he was concerned about safety, Kirby replied, “I am not aware of any indication that we are preparing for this type of activity, particularly in relation to these comments.
“But of course we are working hand-in-hand with local and state authorities across the country and we will continue to monitor this as best we can.”
“We’re always monitoring the situation here as best we can,” he continued. “And of course we don’t want any activity to become violent, certainly not on the scale that we saw on January 6, but we’re watching this. We will of course monitor it closely.’
“We’re going to want to see if there are protests of any kind on any issue, or quite honestly, let alone that they’re peaceful.”
Supporters of the former president have already flocked to his Mar-a-Lago estate to avoid his arrest
Others gathered in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan during the St. Patrick’s Day parade
Trump supporters gathered on a street corner outside the BOK Center on Saturday ahead of an expected visit from Trump
Protesters react to a group holding pro-Donald Trump and MAGA signs in Manhattan