Trump says he will be arrested

Former president calls on supporters to protest

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump, despite no word from a Manhattan grand jury, predicted his arrest in New York City this week — and called on supporters to protest his anticipated arraignment.

Trump, writing Saturday on his Truth Social website, announced he will return to the city to face unspecified charges in the Manhattan district attorney’s long-running investigation of the 76-year-old former commander in chief.

“The far & away leading Republican candidate & former president of the United States of America will be arrested on Tuesday of next week,” posted Trump. “Protest, take our nation back!”

After his post, Republican House Speaker Kevin Mccarthy decried any plans to prosecute Trump as an “outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA” whom he claimed was pursuing “political vengeance.” Rep. Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking House Republican, issued a statement with a similar sentiment.

If Trump is right, his criminal case will mark the first against a former president in American history. But there was no indication the grand jury has returned an indictment at this point, and a source connected to the case said Trump’s claim came despite no official word from prosecutors.

New York City Police Department sources did say police and the Secret Service were coordinating on a plan for Trump’s surrender if an indictment is returned, with extra manpower in place and the possible shutdown of nearby streets.

A spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined “to confirm or comment” on any aspect of the Trump posting. The ex-president offered no details on how he learned about the supposed date for his arrest.

But Bragg was believed to be on the cusp of a charging decision in his office’s long-running investigation into Trump, his business dealings and the infamous hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Daniels and two former Trump aides, Hope Hicks and Kellyanne Conway, are among witnesses who met with prosecutors in recent weeks. The ex-president’s former lawyer Micheal Cohen has said he funneled $280,000 from Trump to Daniels and Playboy model Karen Mcdougal to ensure their silence back in 2016.

The NYPD sources added authorities would be scouring social media over the coming days to determine if any pro-trump groups like the Proud Boys were planning protests linked to an arrest.