NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Donald Trump could soon be indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in a case connected to a 2016 “hush money” payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels. Jurors hearing evidence in the case are expected to reconvene next week, when a potential indictment could come down. Prosecutors and Trump allies have clashed this week, with Trump repeatedly attacking D.A. Alvin Bragg on social media. Meanwhile, authorities have been preparing for any unrest in New York.
SATURDAY, MARCH 25
11:07 a.m. - Rev. Al Sharpton held a prayer vigil for Bragg the morning after the DA received a threatening letter with white powder enclosed
Rev. Al Sharpton held a prayer vigil for Bragg at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning.
The show of support came the day after Bragg’s office received a letter reading "Alvin, I am going to kill you" with white powder in the envelope. Preliminary analysis of the substance determined it was not hazardous.
Also on Friday, Trump posted on social media that there would be “death and destruction” if he is arrested.
“In the extremely unlikely event that there is an emergency, the Office’s notification system is equipped to send automated messages — including voice, text messages, and email — to provide accurate, real-time information and instructions,” wrote Bragg to his staff after the incident. “We have no reason to think that will happen but want to assure you that we are well-prepared for any possibility.”
He also apologized to staff members for “offensive or threatening phone calls or emails” received as a result of the Trump prosecution.
6:15 p.m. - NY figures blast Trump for "Soros-backed animal' comment against Bragg
Members of New York's congressional delegation, state legislators, a former governor and other high-profile figures ripped former President Donald Trump in an open letter for calling Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg -- "the first Black person elected to this prestigious position" -- a "Soros-backed animal."
"Alvin Bragg is a respected, courageous, ethical and thoughtful lawyer," according to the letter, which was released on Friday. "Over a distinguished 20+ year career as both a state and federal prosecutor, Alvin brought many tough, high-profile cases against powerful people, including a sitting D.A., the leader of the NYS legislature, a mayor, and an FBI agent."
Trump's remarks came after a barrage of criticism directed at Bragg and a day before a letter containing a threat with white powder was delivered to the DA's office.
"This disgraceful attack is not a dog-whistle but a bullhorn of incendiary racist and anti-semitic bile, spewed out for the sole purpose of intimidating and sabotaging a lawful, legitimate, fact-based investigation," the letter continued.
"These ugly, hateful and anti-American attacks on our judicial system must be universally condemned without equivocation or hesitation," it concluded. "It is clear that Trump would burn down the greatest values of our democracy, and destroy honest, ethical officials performing their constitutional duties, to escape accountability. If we are to protect the rule of law in our country, and if we believe in the principles of our America's founding that all are created equal, then everyone who believes themselves a person of character and conscience must stand with us now to stare down this unprecedented attack on the foundation of our democracy."
3:45 p.m. - Contents of letter addressed to Manhattan DA deemed not hazardous as new details emerge
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that the white powder found in the letter addressed to Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg Friday was not hazardous.
Sources told 1010 WINS that the letter was addressed to Bragg and that it contained a threat.
The letter was processed through the USPS, and there were no injuries as a result of the finding.
"The D.A. has informed the office that it was immediately contained and that the NYPD Emergency Service Unit and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection determined there was no dangerous substance," said the DA's office in a statement.
2:35 p.m. - White powder discovered at Manhattan DA's office: police
An envelope containing white powder was found at Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's office Friday, according to police and reports.
Police did not say if it was addressed to Bragg or if it was suspicious, but sources told NBC News the letter was addressed to him and said, "Alvin - I'm gonna kill you."
A court official told the Daily News that discovery was made in the mailroom at 80 Centre St., where a grand jury has been hearing evidence against former President Donald Trump since January.
Authorities are reportedly investigating the substance. Fox News reported police responded to the scene just after 12 p.m.
No injuries have been reported, and there has reportedly been no evacuation.
The finding comes amid intense scrutiny against Bragg and the DA's office by the former president and his allies.
On Tuesday, unfounded bomb threats were made against the DA's office, nearby courthouses and the NYPD headquarters. Someone called 911 to report that a bomb had been planted at Manhattan Criminal Court.
1010 WINS has reached out to the DA's office for comment.
12:45 p.m. - NY Rep. Hakeem Jeffries slams Trump rhetoric
At a news conference Friday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries rebuked Trump’s latest inflammatory comments on the Manhattan grand jury probe, according to the Washington Post. Trump said on social media early Friday that there could be “death & destruction” if he's charged.
“The twice-impeached former president’s rhetoric is reckless, reprehensible and irresponsible,” Jeffries said. “It’s dangerous. And if he keeps it up, he’s going to get someone killed.”
“We’ve already seen the consequences of incitement from the former president,” the New York Democrat added. “He is principally responsible for inciting the violent insurrection that happened on January 6th, but clearly he has not learned his lesson.”
11 a.m. - Trump warns indictment could cause 'death & destruction'
Donald Trump suggested Friday in a Truth Social post that his potential indictment by a Manhattan grand jury could lead to “death & destruction.”
In a 1 a.m. post, Trump called Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg a “degenerate psychopath” and asked, “What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?”
The post is similar to comments Trump made in the days before the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the building.
Trump has been railing against the Manhattan D.A. on his social platform this week after saying last Saturday that he expected to be arrested this past Tuesday, a prediction that didn’t come to pass. On Thursday, he called Bragg an “animal” and accused him of doing the work of “the Devil,” among other things.
Bragg emailed his staff this week, saying his office “will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly, and speak publicly only when appropriate.”
“We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York,” Bragg wrote in the email.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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