by After former President Trump shared a post on Truth Social claiming he would be arrested on Tuesday, a spokesman for the former president clarified that Trump has not seen “reporting” — other than “illegal leaks” to the press — that he will next week be arrested. .
Awaiting Tuesday to determine whether he will face charges, constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley responded to the claim and potential charges on Saturday, dismissing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“You would say Bragg is out of his orbit, but in this case he’s on a completely different highway,” Turley said on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Saturday. “This is an attempt by a state official to effectively prosecute a federal crime, one that the Justice Department has decided not to prosecute.”
The possible indictment stems from the years of investigation into the alleged Trump hush money scandal involving porn star Stormy Daniels. Near the end of the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump’s attorney at the time, Michael Cohen, sent Daniels $130,000 to prevent her from revealing her 2006 affair with Trump. Trump paid Cohen back in installments.
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Reports have surfaced that the Manhattan district attorney’s office is preparing to issue an indictment for alleged hush money payments made by Trump in 2016 as a presidential candidate.
Trump lashed out at the reports suggesting he would be arrested next week via his Truth Social app on Saturday morning, telling his supporters to “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK”.
“NOW ILLEGAL LEAKS FROM A CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL MANHATTAN DISTRICT LAW FIRM, WHICH HAS SET NEW RECORDS IN VIOLENT CRIMS & WHOSE LEADER IS FINANCED BY GEORGE SOROS, INDICATE THAT, WITHOUT CRIME, CAN BE PROVED, & BASED ON AN OLD & FULL DISCOVERY (BY COUNTLESS OTHER Attorneys!) FAIRYTALE, THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!,” Trump wrote.
A Trump spokesperson added clarification to the former president’s Truth Social blast.
“There has been no report, other than illegal leaks from the Justice Department and the District Attorney’s office, to NBC and other fake news outlets, that the George Soros-funded radical left Democratic Attorney General in Manhattan has decided to extend its witch hunt to the next level. President Trump is rightly emphasizing his innocence and the weaponization of our injustice system,” the spokesman said, adding that the former president would be in Texas next weekend for a “massive rally.”
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A court source told Fox News Digital Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office will meet with law enforcement officials to “discuss the logistics for some time next week, which would mean expecting an indictment next week.”
“You have the Manhattan DA taking a case to court that the Justice Department refused to do. And that raises some obvious questions,” Turley said, echoing concerns that Bragg was taking the case for political reasons. reasons continue.
Turley noted that there are a “number of flaws” in the case if charges are brought against Trump. One of the most obvious issues in the case will be to prove that the money given to Daniels was paid with the election in mind.
“You have to show that that money was only paid with the election in mind. There are, of course, many different reasons why a married man would want to hush up a scandal with a former stripper,” Turley said.
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There is also the problem that the statute of limitations has expired.
“I think Bragg is out of time. The statute of limitations for this offense is about two years. It’s already expired,” Turley explained. “You can extend it to five years if you link it as a felony to another felony. Even after five years, I’m not sure the time has run out. So there will be some very intense challenges here.”
As the president comes under scrutiny and investigation on numerous issues, the potential indictment in New York has left many wondering what role politics could play.
“The only reason I think we’re seeing this case is that two of his accusers have resigned. In my opinion, they acted really inappropriately. In the case of one of them who wrote a book about someone who wasn’t even charged, let alone convicted. And that pressure eventually found its tracks on Bragg, and they’re bringing this rather curious charge based on the falsification of state records and linking it to an uncharged federal crime,” Turley said.
With the 2024 presidential election looming, Tuesday’s possible indictment could have further implications for the campaign season.
“Unless this case is dropped because of one of these shortcomings, it will ruin the works. And it’s a shame that we’re already starting this environment. This has the feel of a thrilling assassination for many on the left, and they need to think seriously about what this means for the justice system,” Turley said.
Turley warned Americans not to “assume” that the “rule of law is dead” despite the unsavory circumstances.
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“I think we have to be careful not to just assume in the most inflammatory way that the rule of law is dead. This is not the first prosecutor to give in to public pressure to press charges.”
Kyle Morris, Marta Dhanis, Adam Sabes, Brandon Gillespie and Andrea Vacchiano of Fox News contributed to this report.
