Trump warns of ‘potential death and destruction’ if he’s indicted

Former President Trump argued early Friday morning that filing charges against him could result in “potential death & destruction” as he railed against the possibility of an indictment by the Manhattan district attorney. 

“What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after 1 a.m. Friday.

“Why & who would do such a thing? Only a degenerate psychopath that truely hates the USA!” Trump wrote.

The post marked an escalation in Trump’s barrage of attacks against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a grand jury is weighing whether to indict Trump over hush money payments made to a porn star to keep quiet an alleged affair during the 2016 campaign.

It is also likely to further fuel concerns that Trump is stoking violence ahead of potential charges.

Multiple outlets reported in recent weeks an indictment against Trump could be imminent in the Manhattan investigation. Trump last Saturday predicted on Truth Social that he would be arrested the following Tuesday, though advisers said the post was not based on any advance warning.

At the same time, Trump began urging his supporters to protest and “take back our nation” in response to an indictment.

Trump is scheduled to hold a rally on Saturday in Waco, Texas. 

Trump’s rhetoric has alarmed some onlookers, who likened it to Trump’s calls for supporters to travel to Washington, D.C., ahead of Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters stormed the Capitol building to try and stop the certification of the 2020 election results.

Some Republicans, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), have sought to tamp down Trump’s calls for protests.

The grand jury in Manhattan did not meet on Wednesday or Thursday, and any charges are not expected to be filed until next week at the earliest. 

Bragg has said in an internal memo to staff that he will not be intimidated by Trump’s rhetoric. In response to a letter from House Republicans for his testimony, Bragg argued the former president “created a false expectation that he would be arrested” with his Truth Social post last weekend.

In addition to the Manhattan investigation, the Justice Department is probing Trump over his handling of classified documents upon leaving the White House, as well as his conduct around the Jan. 6 riots.