Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg sought to reassure his employees in an internal message that threats or intimidation against them would not be tolerated. The communication comes as his office moves forward in its investigation into former President Donald Trump, who said on Saturday he believed he would be arrested on Tuesday and called on his supporters to protest.
“Please know that your safety is our top priority,” Bragg said in a memo to office staff obtained by NBC News from a senior official in the Manhattan DA’s office.
“We do not tolerate attempts to bully our office or threaten the rule of law in New York,” he added.
The letter, which was first reported by Politico, did not name Trump, and referred only to “an ongoing investigation by this office.”
Trump is being investigated by Bragg’s office regarding secret payments to adult video artist Stormy Daniels during his first campaign for president.
In a post on his social media site Truth Social Saturday, Trump referred to reports that he could face possible criminal charges in the investigation and said he was confident he would be arrested on Tuesday.
Trump, who is running for president again, implored followers to protest. “We must save America! Protest, Protest, Protest!!!” He said on Truth Social.
A spokesman for Trump later said that there had been no notification from the Justice Department and “the DA’s office” aside from the “illegal leaks”.
Bragg’s email did not elaborate on potential threats to the office, but said law enforcement partners “will ensure that any specific or credible threats against the office are investigated and all appropriate security measures are taken.” ”
His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Saturday.
NBC News reported on Friday that law enforcement agencies are preparing for a possible Trump indictment as early as next week.
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen is a key witness in the case and testified before a grand jury this week. Cohen pleaded guilty in federal court in 2018 to a federal charge related to the payoffs to Daniels. He was sentenced to three years in federal prison for that and other crimes.
Cohen says the payment was made at Trump’s direction and was for the “prime purpose of influencing” the 2016 presidential election. Daniels has said that the two had sex in 2006. The payment was for a non-disclosure agreement, Trump said.
Trump said the payment was legal, and he repaid Cohen. Trump tweeted in 2018 that the money was “not from the campaign” and that the deal was “a private contract between two parties, known as a nondisclosure agreement or NDA.”
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and called the investigation a continuing partisan “witch hunt” against him.
