Manhattan DA says his office won’t tolerate ‘attempts to intimidate’ following Trump posts
By Mark Morales and Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN
Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg said in an email to staff on Saturday that his office will “not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.”
The email was sent after former President Donald Trump posted on social media that he expects to be arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation by New York prosecutors into a hush money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels and called on his supporters to protest any such move.
Bragg said his office is coordinating with the New York City Police Department and the court to “ensure that any specific or credible threats against the office will be fully investigated and that the proper safeguards are in place so all 1,600 of us have a secure work environment,” according to the email, which was first obtained by Politico.
Manhattan district attorney spokesperson Danielle Filson confirmed the contents of the email to CNN but would not provide further comment.
The district attorney added that his office “will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly, and speak publicly only when appropriate,” as he said they do with all investigations.
CNN’s John Miller reported Friday that meetings have been taking place among city, state and federal law enforcement agencies in New York City about security preparations for a possible indictment of Trump.
A lawyer for Trump, Alina Habba, predicted “mayhem” in New York if an indictment comes down.
“If there are (security) concerns, that’s rightfully so,” Habba told CNN’s Paula Reid Sunday evening. “If this is what we’re doing in this country, you better secure the premises. … People are going to be upset.”
She said that “no one wants anyone to get hurt” and Trump supporters should be “peaceful” while exercising their First Amendment right to protest.
National Security Council communications coordinator John Kirby said Sunday the White House is closely watching the situation but said he wasn’t aware of any White House preparations for protests or major activity in the wake of Trump’s posts.
“We’re always monitoring the situation here as best we can,” Kirby told Fox News Sunday “And we obviously don’t want to see any activity grow violent, certainly nothing to the extent that we saw on January 6. But we’re watching this, we’ll watch it, of course, closely.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
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