The New York Police Department and other law enforcement agencies are ramping up security in preparation for the possibility that Donald Trump will be indicted this week, according to reports.
The NYPD, the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI‘s Joint Terrorism Task Force are among the agencies preparing security plans in and around the Manhattan’s criminal courthouse, where Trump would be appear if he is charged, CBS News reported, citing an unnamed law enforcement source.
A meeting of law enforcement agencies to discuss security is planned for Monday, according to NBC News.
A spokesperson for the NYPD told Newsweek on Monday: “The NYPD’s state of readiness remains a constant at all times, for all contingencies. Our communications and coordination with our partners in government and in law enforcement are fundamental tenets of our commitment to public safety.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is thought to be eyeing charges against Trump as a grand jury in New York investigates hush money paid to women who allegedly had sexual encounters with the former president.
Trump has denied the sexual encounters occurred and said he “did absolutely nothing wrong,” describing the investigation as a “witch hunt” aimed at derailing his 2024 campaign for president.
Prosecutors haven’t said when their work may conclude or charges could come, but on his Truth Social platform, Trump said on Saturday that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday and called for his supporters to protest.
Law enforcement in New York is closely monitoring online chatter warning of protests and violence if Trump is arrested, four officials told The Associated Press.
Muted Reaction
The reaction from Trump supporters has been muted so far, the AP reported, with some dismissing the idea as a waste of time or law enforcement trap.
Bragg addressed concerns about security in a recent email to employees.
“We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York,” he wrote in the email, first reported by Politico.
“Our 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.”
In his email, Bragg said the office has been coordinating with the NYPD and the Office of Court Administration, the administrative arm of the court system in New York.
He didn’t name Trump, referring only to the “public comments surrounding an ongoing investigation by this office.”
Photos showed NYPD workers setting up barricades outside the district attorney’s office on Monday.
Bragg’s office and Trump’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina, have been contacted for comment via email.
Citing “illegal leaks” from the district attorney’s office, Trump wrote in Saturday’s post: “THE 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!”
“IT’S TIME!!! he wrote in another post. “WE JUST CAN’T ALLOW THIS ANYMORE. THEY’RE KILLING OUR NATION AS WE SIT BACK & WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA!PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!”
Trump’s remarks sparked comparisons to the rhetoric he used prior to the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the building in a bid to block the certification of Joe Biden‘s electoral victory following Trump’s claims that the election was stolen from him.
His niece, Mary Trump, has warned that his rhetoric could lead to political violence breaking out across the U.S.
He “continues to engage in this kind of stochastic terrorism that as we’ve seen in the not too distant past, really has devastating consequences,” she said. “So unfortunately, this is the kind of thing where violence could break out anywhere in the country and it’s very difficult to prepare for that.”
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