Donald Trump is busy posting on social media the day after he said he would be arrested in New York over a payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Over the weekend, the former president said he would be detained on Tuesday as part of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's inquiry into alleged hush money paid to Daniels. Posting on Truth Social, Trump called on his supporters to "protest, take our nation back."
Although there have been strong indications that a grand jury will indict Trump, he was not taken into custody on Tuesday.
The former president's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, later told Newsweek that an arraignment some time next week "looks like the way it will be."
Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, would be the first U.S. president to be indicted for a crime if he is charged over the $130,000 Daniels was paid in 2016, allegedly to keep quiet about an affair with Trump.
Prosecutors claim the payment, made by Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen, may have amounted to a campaign violation. Investigators are also examining if any records were falsified when Cohen was reimbursed for the money, which the Trump Organization listed as legal fees.
Trump, who denies having an affair with Daniels, continued to attack the investigation into him on Wednesday morning—while making no reference to his previous comments about an arrest on Tuesday.
"Every article I read, every show I watch, even the so-called Haters say that 'President Trump did nothing wrong, there IS NO CRIME HERE!' As Biden would say, 'No, I mean it, I'm not kidding.' The Crime would be if I get charged!!!," Trump wrote.
He also disputed the allegations against him and attacked Bragg in a follow-up post.
Trump added that Monday's testimony from a key defense team witness, attorney Robert Costello, had helped to discredit the evidence heard by the grand jury from Cohen, who was convicted of federal charges in 2018 in connection to the Daniels payment.
"The Rogue prosecutor, who is having a hard time with the Grand Jury, especially after the powerful testimony against him by Felon Cohen's highly respected former lawyer, is attempting to build a case that has NEVER BEEN BROUGHT BEFORE AND ACTUALLY, CAN'T BE BROUGHT," Trump posted.
"If he spent this time, effort, and money on fighting VIOLENT CRIME, which is destroying NYC, our once beautiful and safe Manhattan, which has become an absolute HELLHOLE, would be a much better place to live!"
Newsweek has contacted the Manhattan District Attorney's Office by email for comment.
The former president's suggestion that he would be arrested on Tuesday was not backed up by prosecutors or his own legal team. It was later reported that the grand jury would not be making any decision about an indictment on that day as they would still be hearing from witnesses on Wednesday.
Tacopina previously told CNN that Trump's claim of a Tuesday arrest was based on what his client had seen in the news.
"No one tells us anything, which is very frustrating. President Trump is basing his response on press reports," he said.
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About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
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