New York police and the US Secret Service are preparing for the possible indictment of Donald Trump in Manhattan after the former president said he expected to be arrested Tuesday and called on his supporters to protest, law enforcement sources told The Post.
The FBI, state court officials and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office have also been keeping abreast of security discussions, with the Big Apple bracing for the worst after Trump, 76, , urged his supporters to “take back our nation” in light of his impending indictment, the sources said.
“We will use all of our available resources,” an NYPD source said Sunday, noting that the department’s Strategic Response Group, which responds to civil disturbances and major events, “has a role in this agency and when necessary necessary, they will be called. ”
Officials from various agencies met on Sunday and are expected to consult again on Monday, according to the sources.
Trump took to his “Truth Social” site over the weekend and said he expects to be indicted in Bragg’s ongoing investigation into alleged money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election. Daniels claims that she had an affair with Trump in 2006, which he has denied.
The former president’s online call to his supporters has federal, state and local authorities on alert, according to the sources.
The sources said various agencies will meet again Monday to discuss security measures that include restricting vehicle access to the Manhattan courthouse and deploying them inside and outside the building.
Bragg’s office has neither confirmed nor denied that an indictment is imminent.
But the New York police said they will be ready in case Trump is impeached and riots break out.
“We’ll handle it like we handle anything else,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Kevin Maloney told The Post. “It’s lower Manhattan, there’s always a lot of police presence there, anyway. So let’s monitor the situation. We will have ample resources. We’ll see what Tuesday brings.”
Maloney said that “it would mean that there will be discussions with our intelligence office and stakeholders in the federal courthouse and the prosecutor’s office.
“We’ll have advanced notice, I’m sure, about the timing of all this,” he added. “We will make sure that the entrance and exits of the courthouse are safe and, if the protesters are there, we will support their right to protest peacefully. If they are not, better.
Bragg’s office forwarded a request for comment Sunday to the NYPD and other law enforcement agencies. The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.
A Secret Service spokesperson said: “In order to maintain the highest levels of integrity in our operations, we cannot comment on protection plans or specific moves for any Secret Service protégés.”
Trump, announcing his alleged arrest pending Saturday morning, rebuked the “ILLEGAL LEAKS OF A CORRUPT AND HIGHLY POLITICAL MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE” in his post on Truth Social.
”THE LEADING FAR & AWAY REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL BE ARRESTED TUESDAY NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE BACK OUR NATION!” he wrote.
“THEY ARE KILLING OUR NATION WHILE WE SIT BACK AND WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA! PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!”. she added herself.
Daniels allegedly received more than $130,000 in hush money through Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and mediator.
In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws regarding the payments and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Meanwhile, Bragg, in an email to his staff on Saturday, said his office will not be intimidated by Trump’s call for protests.
“Our law enforcement partners will ensure that any specific or credible threats against the office are fully investigated and that appropriate security measures are in place so that all 1,600 of us have a safe working environment,” he said. Bragg to his office, according to a leaked email. , obtained by journalist Breanna Morello.
“In the meantime, as with all of our investigations, we will continue to apply the law uniformly and fairly and speak out only when appropriate,” Bragg wrote. “We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.”
Additional reporting by Elizabeth Rosner and Joe Marino
