Trump and his legal team respond to news of looming criminal indictments in hush money case

Former president Donald Trump and his legal team are responding this weekend to news that the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is preparing to drop criminal indictments on him in the case regarding alleged hush money payments Trump made to two women he had sexual relations with during his first presidential run in 2016.

The news that the Manhattan AG is ready to formally charge Trump in the long-running case was leaked sometime before Saturday morning, when the former president himself announced on his own social media platform, Truth Social, that he expects to be arrested on Tuesday in the case against him accusing him of making payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal. 

“Illegal leaks from a corrupt & highly political Manhattan district attorney’s office … indicate that, with no crime being able to be proven … the far & away leading Republican candidate & former president of the United States of America, will be arrested on Tuesday of next week,” wrote Trump. He then attempted to rile up protests over the impending arrest by telling his followers, “Protest, take our nation back!”

Trump’s attorney, Susan Necheles told Reuters, “For the DA’s office to charge former President Trump, a victim of extortion, with a crime because his then lawyer, Michael Cohen, a convicted liar, paid the extortionist would be unprecedented and outrageous selective prosecution.”

If the charges are brought against Trump, it would make him the first US president to face criminal charges in the country’s history.