Mick Mulvaney, a onetime acting chief of staff in Donald Trump’s White House, on Thursday said he expects the former president to be indicted by the Manhattan district attorney over his role in a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
In an interview with “CNN This Morning,” Mulvaney agreed that an indictment was “inevitable,” citing the political pressure for District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the timing of the case.
“I absolutely expect an indictment,” Mulvaney said. “There’s no reason to go this far down the path if you are Mr. Bragg, the district attorney of Manhattan, and not bring criminal charges.”
Mulvaney’s comments come as the grand jury hearing evidence in the case is set to reconvene Thursday.
Trump is under investigation by Bragg over his role in the $130,000 hush money payment made to Daniels in 2016, just before the presidential election. Daniels says she had sex with Trump in 2006, while Trump has denied the allegation.
Trump over the weekend claimed he would be arrested Tuesday ― which didn’t happen ― and called on his supporters to protest.
Major cities across the country implemented extra security measures to prepare for possible unrest.
A Trump indictment would be unprecedented given it would be the first time criminal charges were brought against a former president.
“I think it’s one of those rare cases where the extreme left in this country and the extreme right want the same thing, which is they want Donald Trump to be arrested,” Mulvaney said.
Mulvaney said the left would enjoy the spectacle of a Trump arrest, while the right could use it as an opportunity to claim that his prosecution was politically motivated and boost Trump in his candidacy for president in 2024.