NYC bracing for unrest after Trump calls for protests over possible arrest, indictment
By Larry Celona, Tina Moore and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
March 19, 2023 3:58pm
The NYPD and US Secret Service are huddling to prep for Donald Trumpโs possible indictment 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 officers and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggโs office have also been kept in the loop on security discussions, with the Big Apple bracing for the worst after Trump, 76, urged his followers to โtake our nation backโ in light of his looming indictment, the sources said.
โWe will use all of our available resources,โ one NYPD source said Sunday, noting that the departmentโs Strategic Response Group โ which responds to civil unrest and major events โ โhas a role in this agency and when needed they will be called in.โ
Officials from several agencies met on Sunday and are expected to confer again on Monday, according to sources.
Trump took to his โTruth Socialโ site over the weekend and said he expects to be indicted in Braggโs ongoing probe into alleged hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 election. Daniels claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006, which he has denied.
The former presidentโs online call to supporters has federal, state and local authorities on alert, according to sources.
Security outside Trump Tower in Manhattan.
The NYPD and US Secret Service are meeting to discuss security measures in the event former President Donald Trump is indicted by the Manhattan DAโs office this week.
Robert Miller
The sources said several agencies will meet again on Monday to discuss security measures that include restricting vehicle access to the Manhattan courthouse, and deploying inside and outside the building.
Braggโs office has not confirmed nor denied that an indictment is imminent.
But the NYPD said it will be ready in the event Trump is charged and unrest breaks out.
โWeโll handle it like we do anything else,โ NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Kevin Maloney told The Post. โItโs lower Manhattan, thereโs always plenty of police presence down there, anyway. So weโll monitor the situation. Weโll have ample resources. Weโll see what Tuesday brings.โ
Former President Donald Trump.
Former President Donald Trump told supporters on his โTruth Socialโ site this weekend that he expected to be indicted on Tuesday and that they should protest if he is.
AP
Maloney said he โwould assume there will be conversations with our intel bureau and stakeholders in the federal courthouse and the DAโs office.
โWeโll have an advanced heads-up, Iโm sure, on the timing of this whole thing,โ he added. โWeโll make sure that the entrance and exits to the courthouse are secure and if the protesters are there weโll support their rights to peacefully protest. If theyโre not there, even better.โ
Braggโs office referred a request for comment Sunday to the NYPD and other law enforcement agencies. The FBI didnโt return a request for comment.
A Secret Service spokesman said: โTo maintain the highest levels of integrity for our operations, we are not able to comment on specific protection plans or movements for any Secret Service protectee.โ
Trump, in announcing his alleged pending arrest Saturday morning, chided โILLEGAL LEAKS FROM A CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEYโS OFFICEโ in his post on Truth Social.
โTHE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!โ he wrote.
โTHEYโRE KILLING OUR NATION AS WE SIT BACK & WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA!PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!.โ he added.
Daniels allegedly received more than $130,000 in hush money through Michael Cohen, Trumpโs former attorney and fixer.
In 2018 Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws in connection to the payments and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Bragg, meanwhile, in an email to his staff on Saturday, said his office will not be intimidated by Trumpโs call for protests.
โOur law enforcement partners will ensure that any specific or credible threats against the office will be fully investigated and that the proper safeguards are in place so all 1,600 of us have a secure work environment,โ Bragg told his office, according to a leaked email, obtained by journalist Breanna Morello.
โIn the meantime, as with all of our investigations, we will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly and speak openly only when appropriate,โ Bragg wrote. โWe do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.โ
https://nypost.com/2023/03/19/nyc-bracing-for-unrest-after-trump-calls-for-protests-over-possible-criminal-indictment/