Trump Suggests His Supporters Shouldn't Be Peaceful

Donald Trump suggested in an all-caps post on Thursday that his supporters shouldn't be peaceful as he might be indicted by New York prosecutors over alleged hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

The former president is being investigated by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office for the money paid to Daniels by his former attorney, Michael Cohen to keep the alleged affair a secret ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels and has strongly criticized the investigation.

On Saturday morning, Trump called for his supporters to protest against his possible indictment after he predicted that he'll be arrested on Tuesday. He continued to assert his innocence in the case throughout this week and repeatedly slammed Bragg and the justice system.

"EVERYBODY KNOWS I'M 100% INNOCENT, INCLUDING BRAGG, BUT HE DOESN'T CARE. HE IS JUST CARRYING OUT THE PLANS OF THE RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED, AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL!" he wrote on Truth Social.

The former president predicted over the weekend that he would be arrested on Tuesday as part of Bragg's inquiry into the payment that Daniels allegedly received, but he wasn't taken into custody.

Trump would be the first U.S. president to be indicted for a crime if he is charged over the $130,000 paid to Daniels in 2016 in an alleged effort to keep her quiet about their alleged affair. Daniels claimed that she had an affair with Trump in 2006.

Prosecutors claim that the payment might be considered a campaign violation and also found that the Trump Organization recorded the reimbursement to Cohen as legal expenses. It is against state law in New York for companies to misclassify the nature of expenses. This could lead to a misdemeanor charge for Trump, which might later become a felony if the misclassification took place in order to cover up another crime.

Meanwhile, a grand jury was supposed to meet on Wednesday for behind-closed door testimonies from witnesses as the investigation continues, but the hearing was canceled without any reason disclosed.

The former president's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, later told Newsweek on Tuesday that an arraignment some time next week "looks like the way it will be."

In another Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump wrote: "WHY WON'T BRAGG DROP THIS CASE? EVERYBODY SAYS THERE IS NO CRIME HERE. I DID NOTHING WRONG! IT WAS ALL MADE UP BY A CONVICTED NUT JOB WITH ZERO CREDIBILITY, WHO HAS BEEN DISPUTED BY HIGHLY RESPECTED PROFESSIONALS AT EVERY TURN.

"BRAGG REFUSES TO STOP DESPITE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY. HE IS A SOROS BACKED ANIMAL WHO JUST DOESN'T CARE ABOUT RIGHT OR WRONG NO MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HURT. THIS IS NO LEGAL SYSTEM, THIS IS THE GESTAPO, THIS IS RUSSIA AND CHINA, BUT WORSE. DISGRACEFUL!"

Bragg, a Democrat, was backed by billionaire and philanthropist George Soros in his race for district attorney, according to the National Police Association. He previously served as an assistant attorney general for New York and an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The district attorney said Thursday morning that his office will "publicly state the conclusion of our investigation—whether we conduct our work without bringing charges, or move forward with an indictment."

Newsweek reached out to Trump's media office via email for comment.