Donald Trump Says He Expects To Be Arrested This Week

Over the weekend, Donald Trump said that he expected to be arrested tomorrow. In a post on his social network, Truth Social, he sought to rally supporters and called for protests. Within hours, Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he wanted House committees to investigate whether federal funds were being used for “politically motivated prosecutions, New York Times reports.” New York prosecutors have signaled that an indictment may be imminent. But they have not told Trump’s lawyers when the charges — expected to stem from a 2016 hush money payment to a porn star — will be sought. If an arrest is made, it will be an unprecedented event. No U.S. president has ever been charged with a crime. Trump’s political operation is trying to use the news to turn the base of the Republican Party against his expected rival for the 2024 presidential nomination, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. Immediately after Trump’s post on Saturday, his operatives and friendly media outlets began publicly pressuring DeSantis to condemn law enforcement officials in New York, portraying his silence as bordering on treason. Trump's former vice president Mike Pence told ABC News Trump's possible indictment "just feels like a politically charged prosecution here." Asked about Trump's call for people to protest if he is indicted, Pence said he thinks protesters will understand "they need to do so peacefully and in a lawful manner." Bragg's office earlier this month invited Trump to testify before the grand jury probing the payment, which legal experts said was a sign that an indictment was close. Trump declined the offer, the person familiar with the matter said. Bragg addressed in an email to staff on Saturday reported by Politico and confirmed by Reuters that "we do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York ... We will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly and speak publicly only when appropriate." Bragg's email did not mention Trump by name but cited "ongoing press attention and public comments surrounding an ongoing investigation.