McCarthy Urges Calm if Trump Arrested
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Sunday that he doesn’t think people should protest if former President Donald Trump is arrested on charges brought by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
On Saturday, Trump took to his Truth Social social media site to say that he expects to be arrested on Tuesday on charges stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into a hush-money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
He also urged his followers to “protest” and “take our country back.”
During a press conference at the House GOP issues retreat in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday, McCarthy said, “I don’t think people should protest this stuff.”
At the same time, the speaker sought to cool suggestions that Trump’s threat was intended to incite people to action.
“He’s not talking in a harmful way,” McCarthy said. “He’s just trying to educate people about what’s going on.”
“If this [the arrest] were to happen, we want calmness out there.”
In an email to The Well News on Saturday, Sean Hickman, a spokesman for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department said the agency was not aware of any protests in the works in the district.
“MPD will continue to monitor and will plan accordingly with our federal law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of D.C. residents and visitors,” he said, adding that the department “encourages the public to remain vigilant.”
“If you see something, say something. Please immediately report suspicious activity by calling 911,” Hickman added.
On Monday, the U.S. Capitol Police responded to a request for comment from The Well News, saying, “Unfortunately, for safety reasons, we don’t discuss any potential security plans.”
Dan can be reached at dan@thewellnews.com and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue
