Donald Trump said in a social media post that he will be arrested on Tuesday, as a New York prosecutor considers charges in a case involving hush money paid to women who claimed sexual encounters with the former president, news agency Associated Press (AP) reported on Saturday.
As per the report, Trump stated on his Truth Social network that "illegal leaks" from the Manhattan district attorney's office indicate that "The far and away leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States Of America, will be arrested on Tuesday of next week".
Trump urged his supporters to protest.
Law enforcement officials in New York have been preparing for the potential of Trump being prosecuted.
There has been no public disclosure of a timeline for the grand jury's secret work in the investigation, including any potential vote on whether or not to prosecute the former president.
Meetings have been going on all week in New York City between city, state, and federal law enforcement agencies about how to prepare for a possible indictment of Trump in connection with a years-long investigation into a hush-money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels, according to CNN's John Miller report.
Any indictment of the former President, who is running for reelection in 2024, would be a historic first and would dramatically alter the political conversation surrounding an already divisive figure. While Trump has a long history of civil litigation, both before and after taking office, a criminal charge would be a dramatic escalation of his legal woes as he attempts to reclaim the presidency.
Trump did not explain why he believes he will be arrested. The former president has been agitating for his team to rile up his base and believes that an indictment would help him politically, according to the CNN report.
A Trump spokesperson said on Saturday that the former president had not received notification from the Manhattan District Attorney's office about any potential indictment, but that he was "rightfully highlighting his innocence" in his post.
As per the report, the Manhattan District Attorney's office declined to comment.
(With Inputs From Agencies)