NEW YORK (NewsNation) — Tuesday has come and gone; the day that former President Donald Trump claimed he would be arrested on his social media site Truth Social.
However, it’s important to note that only the former president claimed his arrest, neither his own legal counsel nor the district attorney’s office was able to corroborate it.
For 40 years, Trump has navigated countless legal investigations without ever facing criminal charges, but that record may soon come to an end.
An indictment still hasn’t been handed down, but sources told NewsNation that in reality, Wednesday could be the earliest possible day it could happen. Trump could be indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, potentially charged with falsifying business records connected to hush money payments during his 2016 campaign to women who accused him of “sexual encounters.”
There is a consensus that given how unprecedented the situation is — seeing as we have never before seen an indictment of a former president — the arraignment process would look anything but normal.
He has denied any allegations of wrongdoing and accuses prosecutors of engaging in a politically motivated “witch hunt” to damage his campaign.
But an indictment wouldn’t stop Trump from continuing his campaign. There is no prohibition against running while facing criminal charges — or even following conviction. Indeed, convicted felons have run for president before, including from behind bars.
The media presence has grown dramatically over the last few days around the courthouse.
Small crowds of protesters both in support of and opposition to Trump have also gathered outside the court. These demonstrations have been small and peaceful, with many New Yorkers chanting calls to arrest Trump and others saying they’d like to see the district attorney focus on cleaning up the streets of New York.
A nearby courthouse received a bomb threat on Tuesday, which delayed testimonies in the area. It just so happens that another case involving the former president was taking place there. It was proven to be a hoax, and a spokesperson for that courthouse said that they don’t believe the threats had anything to do with Trump. NYPD confirmed it is increasing its presence in the area, but confirmed there was no credible threat.
The Associated Press and NewsNation writer Devan Markham contributed to this report.
