Fencing has gone up at the United States Capitol, the Supreme Court and lower Manhattan as a precaution ahead of Former President Donald Trump’s possible arrest.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday that he expected to be arrested yesterday and called upon his supporters to protest. He is being accused of falsifying business records in the state of New York, where he allegedly paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to remain quiet about an affair.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy defended the former president, calling the case “political.”
“This was personal money, it wasn’t trying to hide,” he said. ” This was seven years ago.”
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis also sees this as a part of a political agenda. “You have a prosecutor who is ignoring crimes happening every single day in his jurisdiction, and he chooses to go back many years ago to try to use something about porn star hush money payments. That’s an example of pursuing a political agenda and weaponizing the office.”
Democrats have spoken little about the issue, with most such as Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Sen. Ben Cardin worried about violent outcomes and fearing a repeat of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Others, such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are waiting to see if Trump will actually be arrested.