Staff Reports
A former official from the Justice Department warned that the calls for protests and statements made by Donald Trump could poison the jury pool.
According to Anthony Cole, who used to be the head of the Department of Justice's public affairs division, President Trump is trying to intimidate local prosecutors. He also claims that this could affect the jury pool.
On Tuesday, Trump claimed on social media that he was expecting to be arrested this week due to the illegal leaks. He also said that a highly political prosecutor was preparing to apprehend him.
In his post, Trump claimed that the illegal leaks came from the office of the Manhattan District Attorney, which is known for its political and corrupt practices. He also stated that the leader of the country's biggest political party was being prepared to be arrested.
According to Cole, Trump's statements were very unsettling, recalling the president's words following the 2020 election.
The former Justice Department official also noted that the tone of the statements made by Trump over the past 24 hours was incendiary. This was similar to the rhetoric used before the attack on the US Capitol on January 6.
Trump's statements about the investigation being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney are related to the investigation into the hush-money payments made to Stormy Daniels. It has been reported that the prosecutor is preparing to indict the president.
Security plans were reportedly put in place in New York on Friday in preparation for the possible arrest of Trump. Some of the agencies that are involved include the FBI, the New York State Police, and the Manhattan DA's office.
In 2019, Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen revealed to Congress that he made a secret payment of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, to keep her from going public with her story about an affair with Trump.
Cohen, who previously pleaded guilty, said that Trump had reimbursed him for the payments. He also noted that an indictment against the president was likely to come.
If the case brought by Bragg is successful, it will be the first instance of a former US president being indicted. It will be up to the prosecutors to determine if Trump made false statements in his financial records.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Washington Examiner
