Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg tried to reassure his staff in an internal message that intimidation or threats against them would not be tolerated. The communication comes as his office is advancing its investigation into former President Donald Trump, who said Saturday he believes he will be arrested Tuesday and called on his supporters to protest.
«Keep in mind 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 district attorney’s office.
He added: «We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.»
The letter, which was first Reported by Politicohe did not mention Trump by name, referring only to «an ongoing investigation by this office.»
Trump is under investigation by Bragg’s office in connection with a hush money payment made to adult video actor Stormy Daniels during his first campaign for president.
In a post on his Truth Social Saturday social media site, Trump addressed reports that he could face possible criminal charges in the investigation and said he believes he will be arrested Tuesday.
Trump, who is running for president again, implored his supporters to protest. “WE MUST SAVE AMERICA! PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!” he said he on Truth Social.
A Trump spokesman later said there has been no notification other than the «illegal leaks» from the Justice Department and the «prosecutor’s office.»
Bragg’s email did not go into detail about possible 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 safeguards are in place.» «.
His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday night.
NBC News reported Friday that law enforcement agencies are preparing for a possible impeachment of Trump starting next week.
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen is a key witness in the case and testified before the grand jury this week. Cohen pleaded guilty in federal court in 2018 to a federal charge related to the payment to Daniels. He was sentenced to three years in federal prison for that and other crimes.
Cohen maintains that the payment was made on Trump’s orders and was for the «primary purpose of influencing» the 2016 presidential election. Daniels has said the two had sexual relations in 2006. The payment was for a confidentiality agreement, he said Trump.
Trump said the payment was legal and that he reimbursed Cohen. Trump tweeted in 2018 that the money was «not from the campaign» and that the deal had been «a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement or NDA.»
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and called the investigation a continuation of the partisan «witch hunt» against him.