(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump claims he will be arrested Tuesday. Trump did not provide any specific proof of this, and his campaign communications director told NewsNation there has been “no notification,” other than leaks to media outlets, that Trump’s arrest is imminent.
Trump’s comments come after a grand jury heard evidence in a New York hush money investigation. The probe is centered around a $130,000 payment former Trump aide Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the days leading up to the 2016 election to keep her from going public. Daniels claims she had an affair with Trump. The former president has denied the allegation.
Some have questioned if the money could be connected to a potential campaign violation with the nature of the payment seeming to be the core of the investigation that Trump has described as a “witch hunt.”
Who’s leading the charge in the probe? Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Bragg is a former New York state and federal prosecutor who took office last year. Bragg is the first Black Manhattan district attorney in the history of the office.
The Harvard Law grad grew up in Harlem. In his Manhattan DA victory speech, he said he is probably the first district attorney who has had a gun pointed at him by police.
“In addition to being the first Black district attorney, I think I’ll probably be the first district attorney who’s had police point a gun at him. I think I’ll be the first district attorney who’s had a homicide victim on his doorstop. I think I’ll be the first district attorney in Manhattan whose had a semi-automatic weapon pointed at him. I think I’ll be the first district attorney in Manhattan whose had a loved one reenter from incarceration and stay with him,” Bragg said during his victory speech. “And I’m going to govern from that perspective.”
The district attorney leans in a progressive direction when it comes to charging, plea, bail and sentencing policies in the city. In a memo to staff last year, Bragg announced that his office would not prosecute on a number of charges, asked his prosecutors to only request jail or prison time for cases involving serious offenses and added that he wants to find alternatives to incarceration.
Bragg served as a visiting professor of law and co-director of the Racial Justice Project at New York Law School, where he represented Eric Garner’s sister and mother in a lawsuit against the City of New York about Garner’s death. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the New York Urban League and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Bragg’s biography says he “believes in holding powerful people accountable” and details how he secured a six-count indictment against former Trump advisor Stephen Bannon and WeBuildTheWall, Inc. for money laundering and conspiracy and secured the conviction of Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg. While campaigning, Bragg reportedly boasted about suing Trump 100 times.
Last week in an interview with NewsNation host Dan Abrams, one of Trump’s attorneys, Joe Tacopina, said an indictment against the former president is becoming “more probable.” Over the weekend, Trump encouraged his supporters to “protest, protest, protest” his potential arrest.
Shortly after, Bragg sent out an internal note acquired by Politico that said “We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York“ adding, “As with all of our investigations, we will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly.”
If Trump happens to be indicted, he would become the first former president ever to face criminal charges.
