Trump news today: Donald Trump calls for protest ahead of predicted Tuesday arrest

Donald Trump’s rcitics and activist groups have condemned his inflammatory rhetoric and a statement from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as Republicans quickly rallied to the former president’s defense against possible criminal prosecution.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also condemned Mr Trump’s “reckless” announcement predicting his arrest, which she said has been used to “keep himself in the news and to foment unrest among his supporters” as he continues to use apocalyptic rhetoric around his 2024 campaign and potential criminal indictments.

The Republican leader issued a statement accusing the Manhattan district attorney’s office of an “outrageous abuse of power” and announced that he will direct House committees to “immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.

Democratic US Rep Ted Lieu struck back at Mr McCarthy’s suggestion that New York prosecutors are “subverting democracy” with their criminal investigation.

“Do you even know what the charges are? Have you seen any of the grand jury evidence? No,” Mr Lieu wrote. “You are being a craven, partisan politician who doesn’t respect the rule of law. In America, no one is above the law, including the person to whom you bend your knee.”

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has responded to Donald Trump’s call for protest ahead of potential criminal charges against the former president.

“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,” Mr Bragg wrote to staff in his office, according to reports.

Read Mr Bragg’s full statement below:

Donald Trump is now expected face charges filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office has reportedly burrowed into the Stormy Daniels case and empaneled a grand jury only as recently as January in the investigation.

So what happens next in this unprecedented case?

What happens to the 2024 race, and Donald Trump’s ability to participate in it, if he comes under criminal indictment?

The short answer is, not much.

The Independent’s John Bowden explains:

Donald Trump’s recent remarks echo his calls to supporters that fuelled the attack on the US Capitol and his apocalyptic visions of America from his time in office and on the campaign trail, depicting his us-versus-them political stakes and a brewing civil war with grim conclusions – rhetoric that has gripped the GOP in the wake of Mr Trump’s candidacy.

A five-year story finally looks to be nearing some kind of conclusion. The Independent’s John Bowden takes a look at the saga that may lead to criminal charges against Donald Trump:

The chief judge of the Washington, DC federal district court has ordered Evan Corcoran – who represented Trump in the weeks leading up to last year’s FBI search at Mar-a-Lago – to give evidence before a grand jury regarding conversations he had with the former president about efforts to find and return classified documents to the US government.

Leading Republican politicians were quick to defend Trump, despite the legal difficulties he appears to be facing from still-unannounced charges.

The lawmakers rushing to defend the ex-president have done so without awareness or knowledge of any potential indictment; Republicans are fighting a public relations battle intended to undermine any criminal case against the former president, the man who is still most likely to be the GOP’s 2024 nominee.

The new chief judge at the District Court in Washington, DC who will oversee the special counsel investigations into former President Donald Trump by the Department of Justice was once a roommate of Trump Supreme Court appointee Brett Kavanaugh while they were at law school.

Law enforcement agenices at the local, state and federal levels are reportedly preparing for the possibility that Donald Trump may be indicted as early as next week in relation to the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

Preliminary security assessments are being conducted, and officials are discussing potential security plans in the vicinity of the Manhattan Criminal Court at 100 Centre Street in case Mr Trump appears in person to face charges, according to NBC News, citing five senior officials familiar with the preparations.