Cops brace for riots as historic Trump arrest expected in chilling Jan 6 echoes
Police in New York are on high alert today and have battened down the hatches fearing riots should Donald Trump be indicted over a case of alleged hush money he allegedly paid to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Although Trump is involved in numerous legal discourses, an indictment would be historic as it would mark the first time ever that a former US President is faced with criminal charges.
On Saturday, he demanded his supporters "protest, protest, protest!" against it in a post on Truth Social posing a bitter provocation, in a chilling echo two years after his social media activity incited the infamous Jan 6 US Capitol riot.
The New York Police Department has unloaded barricades around the criminal court building in Lower Manhattan to enhance security.
Meanwhile, a New York grand jury investigating him appears poised to complete its work soon as law enforcement officials make preparations for possible unrest in the event of an indictment.
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Supporters of Donald Trump protest near Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, today (AFP via Getty Images)The grand jury is expected to vote on Trump's indictment on Wednesday, according to unnamed sources that spoke to NewsNation.
Trump over the weekend claimed without any evidence that he would be arrested on Tuesday, with his representatives later saying he was citing media reports and leaks.
But Trump's prediction aside, there is currently no indication that tomorrow will indeed be "D-Day," or the day of his indictment.
A Secret Service agent guards the Mar-a-Lago home of former President Trump today (Getty Images)The grand jury appeared to take an important step forward by hearing Monday from a witness favourable to Trump, presumably so prosecutors could ensure the panel had a chance to consider any testimony that could be remotely seen as exculpatory.
The next steps in a grand jury process shrouded in secrecy remained unclear, and it was uncertain if additional witnesses might be summoned.
But a city mindful of the riot by Trump loyalists at the US Capitol more than two years ago took steps to gird itself from any violence that could accompany the unprecedented prosecution of a former president, while fellow Republicans eyeing the 2024 presidential nomination sized up how an indictment might upend the race.
The NYPD is bracing in the event of Trump's indictment (Getty Images)CBS News Homeland Security & Justice reporter reported overnight that all NYPD officers, including plainclothes detectives, were ordered to wear full uniform from 7 am today to be prepared.
The Daily Mail reported earlier that the NYPD is even considering stationing hundreds of riot cops, fearing that Trump's arrest may cause both MAGA conservatives and anti-Trump protesters to face off outside Manhattan Criminal Court as he is arraigned.
Police are barricading the courts in New York in case protests erupt from Trump supporters (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP/REX/Shutterstock)As well as gathering in New York, several MAGA fans have also descended on Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in a bid to prevent his arrest.
NYPD representatives are monitoring social media and liaising with federal agents to assess any potential threat.
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The force may deploy its 'Strategic Response Group,' which consists of 700 members trained in “disaster control”.
Barricades are unloaded from a truck near the courts in New York (AP)The NYPD and FBI have also drafted contingency plans to deal with threats to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his staff if some of Trump's more extremist supporters target them.
Secret Service staff have also prepared for how they will move Trump through large crowds in the event of his arrest.
The testimony from Robert Costello, a lawyer with close ties to numerous key Trump aides, appeared to be a final opportunity for allies of the former president to steer the grand jury away from an indictment.
The front steps of 80 Centre Street in New York City, where a grand jury is investigating Donald Trump (AP)He was invited by prosecutors to appear after saying that he had information to undercut the credibility of Michael Cohen, a former lawyer and fixer for Trump who later turned against him and then became a key witness in the Manhattan district attorney's investigation.
Costello had provided Cohen legal services several years ago after Cohen himself became entangled in the federal investigation into the hush money payments.
New York Police wait for instructions around the courthouse ahead of Donald Trump's anticipated indictment (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP/REX/Shutterstock)In a news conference after his grand jury appearance, Costello told reporters that he had come forward because he did not believe Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal crimes and served time in prison, could be trusted.
“If they want to go after Donald Trump and they have solid evidence, then so be it,” Costello said. “But Michael Cohen is far from solid evidence.”
Responding to Costello’s claims on MSNBC later Monday, Cohen said that Costello was never his lawyer and “he lacks any sense of veracity.”
A Trump indictment could come as soon as this week (AP)There were no clear signs that Costello's testimony had affected the course of the investigation. Cohen had been available for over two hours in case prosecutors wanted him to rebut Costello's testimony but was told he was not needed, his attorney said Monday.
The testimony came two days after Trump said he expected to face criminal charges and urged supporters to protest his possible arrest.
In a series of social media posts through the weekend, the Republican former president criticized the New York investigation, directing particularly hostile rhetoric toward Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat.
Barricades are unloaded from a truck near the courts in New York (Seth Wenig/AP/REX/Shutterstock)New York officials have been monitoring online chatter of threats of varying specificity, and even as portable metal barricades were dropped off to safeguard streets and sidewalks, there were no immediate signs that Trump's calls for protests were being heeded.
Costello briefly acted as a legal adviser to Cohen after the FBI raided Cohen’s home and apartment in 2018.
At the time, Cohen was being investigated for both tax evasion and for payments he helped orchestrate in 2016 to buy the silence of two women who claimed to have had sexual encounters with Trump.
Police are on their feet ahead of expected protests (Getty Images)For several months, it was unclear whether Cohen, a longtime lawyer and fixer for the Trump Organization who once boasted that he would “take a bullet” for his boss, would remain loyal to the president.
Cohen ultimately decided to plead guilty in connection with the payments to porn actor Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal, which he said were directed by Trump.
Since then, he has been a vociferous Trump critic, testifying before Congress and then to the Manhattan grand jury.
(Guerin Charles/ABACA/REX/Shutterstock)Trump, who has denied having sex with either woman, has branded Cohen a liar. Costello broke with Cohen before he pleaded guilty, after it became clear he was no longer in Trump’s camp.
In the years since, Costello, a veteran New York attorney, has represented Trump allies including his former political strategist Steve Bannon and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
The former president is expected to be indicted (AFP via Getty Images)Even as the New York investigation pushes toward conclusion, Trump faces criminal probes in Atlanta and Washington that, taken together, pose significant legal peril and carry the prospect of upending a Republican presidential race in which Trump remains a leading contender.
Some of his likely opponents have tried to strike a balance between condemning a potential prosecution as politically motivated while avoiding condoning the conduct at issue.
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