NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- A security meeting will be held Monday as the city prepares for the potential indictment of former President Donald Trump by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, sources told 1010 WINS as the NYPD unloaded barricades near Manhattan Criminal Court.
The meeting will take place in the afternoon after lunch and will involve agencies and security stakeholders like the NYPD, Secret Service, court administration and others who play a role in protecting Trump, the judge, the district attorney, the public and others, according to the sources.
There will also be discussions Monday on whether there will be planned or unplanned demonstrations and how Trump will appear in the courtroom if a grand jury returns an indictment related to hush money payments made during Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Trump said on social media over the weekend that he expects to be arrested as soon as Tuesday, though his lawyers said he had no communications from prosecutors. The former president called for protests over the expected criminal charge, urging his supporters to “take our nation back!”
On Monday morning, the NYPD was seen unloading barricades in the area of Manhattan Criminal Court and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Mayor Eric Adams said Monday that the city is prepared for any outcome.
“We’re monitoring comments on social media,” Adams said, “and the NYPD is doing their normal role of making sure that there’s no inappropriate actions in the city, and we’re confident we’re going to be able to do that.”
The New York Young Republican Club announced a "peaceful protest" in Lower Manhattan on Monday evening to demonstrate against the expected indictment.
Multiple law enforcement officials told the Associated Press on Sunday that law enforcement is closely monitoring online chatter warning of protests and violence if Trump is arrested.
Law enforcement is also discussing a multitude of preliminary security plans for Lower Manhattan, including the potential for closing several streets or blocking streets with large trucks, the sources said.
The grand jury was set to hear testimony Monday from attorney Robert Costello, who Trump’s camp requested to counter the narrative of Michael Cohen, the former Trump attorney who prosecutors said set up and delivered payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and another woman to silence them about sexual encounters.
Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg’s office has apparently been examining whether any state laws were broken in connection with the payments or the way Trump’s company compensated Cohen for his work to keep the women’s allegations quiet.
Bragg sent a memo to staff Saturday saying the office won’t be intimidated or deterred. “We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York,” Bragg wrote, referring to “press attention and public comments” regarding an ongoing investigation by his office.
Trump has denied having sex with Stormy Daniels and has castigated Cohen as a liar.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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