Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg responds to Trump’s call to action over possible arrest

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg reportedly responded to former President Donald Trump calling for protests over his potential indictment by telling his office staffers that he won’t tolerate any form of alleged intimidation against them.

He offered the consoling words in an email that was reviewed by Politico.

“Dear Colleagues: I’m sure you have seen the ongoing press attention and public comments surrounding an ongoing investigation by this office. Please know that your safety is our top priority. We have full confidence in our outstanding security staff and investigators, along with our great OCA and NYPD colleagues, and will continue to coordinate with all of them,” Bragg wrote.

“We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York. 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,” he added.

He continued by offering his own personal vow to “maintain a safe work environment where everyone is able to continue to serve the public with the same diligence and professionalism that make this institution so renowned.”

“In the meantime, as with all of our investigations, we will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly, and speak publicly only when appropriate. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your supervisor and we will work to answer them as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Thank you, Alvin,” Bragg concluded.

Look:

News of the internal memo/email came hours after Trump took to Truth Social to decry reports that he’s scheduled to be indicted and arrested as early as next Tuesday.

In complaining about the reports, he also called for his die-hard fans to  “protest, protest, protest.”

“PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!” he wrote in one 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!!!”  he added in another.

Look:

Following these posts, a few Trump supporters did reportedly protest outside Mar-a-Lago, the Florida estate where the president resides.

Look:

According to The Daily Beast, more protests are in the works.

“[F]ar-right forums have overflowed with ideas on how to keep Trump out of the clink—with one person suggesting Trump supporters should create a ‘Patriot moat’ around the former president’s estate at Mar-a-Lago in South Florida so law enforcement can’t enter,” the left-wing site reported.

“Surround Mar-a-Lago or wherever he currently is and prevent ‘law enforcement’ from entering,” one online commenter reportedly wrote.

“What if they use choppers to circumvent the Patriot moat?” another added.

That being said, Trump has reportedly walked back some of his Truth Social posts calling for protests.

“The Trump campaign now walking back a Truth Social post from the former president saying that he’ll be arrested on Tuesday. A Trump spokesperson is now saying there has been no notification of forthcoming charges beyond what they are calling ‘illegal leaks to the media.’ The Manhattan DA has declined to comment,” a Fox News anchor reported late Saturday.

Listen:

What has many of the former president’s supporters upset is that all this hoopla is over something that happened years ago back during the 2016 presidential election.

At the time, Trump allegedly gave his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, $130,000 with which to pay off his mistress, porn star Stormy Daniels, and keep her quiet.

According to ABC News, Bragg is now “mulling whether to charge Trump with falsifying business records, after the Trump Organization allegedly reimbursed Cohen for the payment then logged the reimbursement as a legal expense.”

There’s only one small problem. What Trump allegedly did is a misdemeanor at worst. Yet Bragg is reportedly trying to pin a felony on him.

“In New York, falsifying business records can amount to a crime, albeit a misdemeanor. To elevate the crime to a felony charge, Mr. Bragg’s prosecutors must show that Mr. Trump’s ‘intent to defraud’ included an intent to commit or conceal a second crime,” The New York Times explains.

“In this case, that second crime could be a violation of New York State election law. While hush money is not inherently illegal, the prosecutors could argue that the $130,000 payout effectively became an improper donation to Mr. Trump’s campaign, under the theory that because the money silenced Ms. Daniels, it benefited his candidacy.”

Vivek Saxena

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