Trump warns of ‘death and destruction’ if charged in porn star hush money probe
In a veiled attack on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg via Truth Social, former US President Donald Trump warned of ‘potential death and destruction’ if charged in the former pornstar Stormy Daniels hush money probe.
Trump’s tweet comes after the Manhattan prosecutors said the former US President misled people to believe that he would be arrested within a week and prompted fellow Republicans to meddle with the Stormy Daniels hush money case, which will be heard next week.
In a late-night post, Trump warned of “potential death and destruction” should charges be brought against him. No stranger to provocative language, his posts protesting his innocence have taken on a darker tone with violent rhetoric, on top of his calls for supporters to protest should an indictment be announced.
In his latest tirade, the former president rhetorically asked what kind of person would charge him with a crime “when it is known by all that NO crime has been committed”.
He answered himself, and without mentioning DA Bragg by name said: “Only a degenerate psychopath that truely [sic] hates the USA!”
Earlier, Trump sparked outrage when he posted an image in which he appeared to be wielding a baseball bat beside DA Bragg’s head.
Attorney Ron Filipkowski noted on Twitter, “If Trump had already been arrested, and was out on bond, the posts he is making now would be grounds for his bond to be revoked and incarcerated until his trial.
“Once he is arrested, any judge will make threatening posts against prosecutors, judge and jury a violation of release.”
He added: “In short, this isn’t going to stop and is only going to get worse until someone finally holds him accountable, if that ever happens.”
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine reacted to the post by saying that the city “will not be caught off guard” by Trump’s “clear call for violent insurrection”, adding that the former president has “lost the element of surprise”.
The grand jury on the hush money case comprising Manhattan-based US citizens convened in January and their proceedings are kept confidential with prosecutors prohibited from disclosing any information. Although there were reports in the media that the grand jury would not be taking up the case on Thursday, it was not anticipated to convene again until at least next week. Possible criminal charges loom over former US President Donald Trump for allegedly concealing hush money payments made to retired porn actress Stormy Daniels.
The adult film star claimed to have had sexual relations with Trump and received $130,000 from his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, before the 2016 election, in exchange for her silence regarding the incident. Cohen was subsequently imprisoned on various charges.
Trump has denied any sexual involvement with Daniels since the allegations were made public in 2018.