A Fox News host has speculated that the potential arrest of Donald Trump on Tuesday could spark civil unrest and turn New York City into a “zoo.”
The comments came during host Neil Cavuto’s Saturday show, on which UC Berkley law professor John Yoo appeared as a guest.
“I wonder where this is going and what Tuesday will be like,” Cavuto told Yoo.
I can imagine that it will be like a zoo. You’re going to have a lot of people supporting you and those hoping you’ll go to the clink. It could get very messy,” he said.
The fear of violence and confrontation in the city comes after Trump encouraged people to “protest” in response to his rumored arrest in Manhattan on Tuesday.
Fox News host Neil Cavuto (pictured) said the possible arrest of Donald Trump on Tuesday could spark civil unrest and turn New York City into a “zoo.”
The fear of violence and confrontation in the city comes after Trump encouraged people to “protest” in response to his rumored arrest in Manhattan on Tuesday. He is pictured watching the NCAA Wrestling Championship on Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, hours after publication.
On Saturday, Trump said on his Truth Social social media platform that the Manhattan district attorney was arranging his arrest over payments he allegedly made to Stormy Daniels, with whom he has been accused of having an affair.
Trump denies the affair and knowledge of the payments.
On Saturday, he posted on his social media platform to claim the investigation was “corrupt and highly political” and called the alleged secret money payment an “old and thoroughly discredited fairy tale.”
‘PROTEST, TAKE BACK OUR NATION!’ declared on Saturday morning.
Yoo suggested that midtown Manhattan, unlike other US cities, does not have open spaces that are conducive to large gatherings and demonstrations.
‘I think it’s going to be a zoo. First of all, New York City is not like Washington DC, where you have these wide plazas for public exhibits,” he said.
It could be very dangerous. The police and the Secret Service are going to have a very hard job maintaining crowd control and making sure that nothing like January 6 doesn’t happen,” Yoo said.
Yoo went on to say that it would be in Trump’s interest that any demonstrations that might arise remain civil and peaceful.
“In fact, it is in President Trump’s interest to make sure that the protests don’t get out of hand,” Yoo said.
“He shouldn’t want there to be violence, he shouldn’t want people to get hurt just because he’s being arrested,” he added.
UC Berkley law professor John Yoo told Cavuto that he was concerned that the layout of New York City streets would not be suitable for gatherings and demonstrations.
Former President Trump congratulates Princeton wrestler Pat Glory on Saturday after he won the NCAA Wrestling Championship in the 125-pound class.
‘PROTEST, TAKE BACK OUR NATION!’ Trump stated in a Truth Social post Saturday morning
If Trump’s claims of impending arrest are true, it would make him the first former president to face criminal charges. His post came hours after it was claimed that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg planned to indict Trump next week.
A Trump spokesman said he is “rightfully highlighting his innocence and the use of weapons of our system of injustice.”
Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the House, said: “Here we go again: an outrageous abuse of power by a radical district attorney who lets violent criminals walk while seeking political revenge against President Trump.”
“I am directing the relevant committees to immediately investigate whether federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”
Last week, the former president and 2024 hopeful was invited to testify before a Manhattan grand jury, and his mediator and former attorney Michael Cohen testified Monday.
Cohen served jail time after pleading guilty in two criminal cases, one of which involved the use of campaign funds in connection with Daniels and another woman who allegedly had an affair with Trump.
He said he had been acting on his orders and that the bribes were supposed to keep love stories out of the public eye ahead of the 2016 election. Trump has admitted reimbursing Cohen
Daniels met with prosecutors Wednesday to answer more questions about the case, and his attorney, Clark Brewster, said he would also be available as a witness in the future, if necessary.
Trump’s lawyer said the former president continues to deny the substance of the allegations of a sexual relationship with Daniels (pictured with Trump), calling the $130,000 a “nuisance payment” that rich or famous people sometimes pay to make disappear a distracting situation.
Daniels met with prosecutors Wednesday to answer further questions about the case and tweeted his thanks to his attorney for “supporting me in our continued fight for truth and justice.”
Cohen has also indicated that he has given the grand jury damning testimony implicating Trump. He testified for three hours on Monday.
Speaking beforehand, he said: ‘This is all about accountability. He has to be held accountable for his dirty deeds.
Speculation that charges were imminent also rose when Bragg told Trump’s team that the former president could testify before the grand jury if he wanted, a notification usually late in a process that could mean impeachment is near.
Legal experts have said that Trump could face one of two charges over the payments, but also concede that both would be difficult to prove.
He could be charged with falsifying business records if it is alleged that Trump knew his retainer agreement with Cohen was a sham to facilitate payments. That would be a misdemeanor under New York law unless prosecutors prove the records were falsified to hide another crime, which would make it a felony.
That other offense could be that the payments violated state election law because the alleged payment was intended to benefit his campaign.
Trump could face up to four years in prison on those charges.
But experts say the former president could still be re-elected if he is charged or even convicted over the issue. Trump has already maintained that he “wouldn’t even think of dropping out” of the race if he is impeached.
The United States Constitution does not say that a candidate cannot run if they have a criminal record. The conditions are simply that a candidate be a natural citizen who is at least 35 years old and has been a resident of the US for 14 years or more.
Kate Shaw, a legal analyst and professor at Cardozo Law School, said abc: ‘There is nothing in the Constitution that disqualifies persons convicted of crimes from running for or serving as president.’
Any issues are likely to be practical, rather than legal, Shaw said, such as jail time making the campaign “difficult, if not impossible.”
