House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has vowed to investigate the Manhattan district attorney’s office following reports that a grand jury is preparing to indict former President Donald Trump within the next week.
According to reports, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is preparing to indict Trump on multiple charges related to an investigation into hush-money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
It is unclear when these charges will be filed, but prosecutors have indicated that an indictment is forthcoming.
Trump Says He’ll Be Arrested on Tuesday, Urges Supporters to ‘Take Nation Back’
McCarthy tweeted on Saturday, “Here we go again: an outrageous abuse of power by a radical district attorney who lets violent criminals go free while seeking political revenge against President Trump.”
“I’m ordering the appropriate committees to investigate immediately whether federal funds are being used to undermine our democracy by interfering with elections through politically motivated prosecutions.”
McCarthy did not specify which committees would be responsible for the investigation.
However, the investigation would follow a number of other investigations into the so-called “weaponization” of government agencies, which conservatives claim is used against them.
Hours before the speaker’s statement, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he anticipates being arrested on “Tuesday of next week” and called on his supporters to protest and “take our nation back.”
In a subsequent statement, a spokesperson for the former president clarified that Trump has no direct knowledge of the timing of a possible arrest.
The statement reads, “President Trump is rightly emphasizing his innocence and the weaponization of our justice system.”
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen testified before the Manhattan grand jury multiple times last week, and Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, met with prosecutors on Wednesday, prompting rumors of an imminent indictment.
For his role in paying off two women who accused Trump of sexual affairs (including Daniels), Cohen was previously convicted in 2018 after pleading guilty. Cohen paid $130,000 to Daniels as part of the scheme and was later reimbursed by the Trump Organization.
New York City prosecutors are looking into whether Trump made up the reimbursement of legal fees in his business records. In New York, such a crime is a misdemeanor, but it could be elevated to a felony if Bragg’s office can demonstrate that the fraud was intended to conceal a second offense.
Federal prosecutors did not press charges against Trump during Cohen’s trial due to Justice Department guidance that a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime. However, prosecutors revived potential charges discussions shortly before Trump’s 2021 presidential exit.
