During an interview broadcasted on Sunday, Mayor Adams stated that New York City is prepared for any potential disorder that may arise when former President Donald Trump is indicted.
“We’re always ready,” he said on PIX11, repeating the message he’s made since Trump declared earlier this month that he expected to be indicted.
“The NYPD does an amazing job of just really dealing with any type of incident that takes place in the city,” Adams added.
Donald Trump caused a stir on March 18 by claiming that he would be indicted the following Tuesday. However, the day passed without any indictment being issued.
Despite this, the city remains tense, and baseless bomb threats were made against local authorities last week.
Furthermore, on Friday, courthouses in lower Manhattan were thrown into chaos when a suspicious envelope containing white powder was discovered, with the return address marked as “Donald Trump” and the addressee named as “Alvin.” It was later discovered that the threat was unfounded.
According to a previous report by the Daily News, the grand jury responsible for considering the potential indictment against Trump is scheduled to convene on Monday.
It is widely believed that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is pursuing charges related to Trump’s payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their affair.
Mayor Adams avoided commenting on the political speculation regarding the merit of Bragg’s case, which follows the decision by federal and state authorities not to prosecute Trump for the Daniels payment.
“I think DA Bragg is going to make the final determination,” the mayor said. “We have not heard yea or nay. We’re just going to be ready, whatever happens.”
Last week, The News reported that the NYPD has increased security measures for protests and is monitoring social media for any potential threats. So far, the demonstrations have been peaceful and uneventful.
Trump, who is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, issued a statement on his Truth Social platform on Friday warning of potential “death and destruction” if he is indicted.
His statement drew condemnation from Democrats, with Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) calling it “outrageous.”
The statement also carried echoes of Trump’s previous attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
“This man obviously has very little moral compass, and if he spurs on additional violence it would be one further stain on his already-checkered reputation,” Warner told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
According to the senator, FBI briefings have not revealed any specific threats related to the possible indictment.
“They’ve seen no specific strains, but the level of rhetoric on some of these rightwing sites has increased,” Warner said.
Over the weekend, Republican leaders continued to criticize Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation, despite his insistence that the indictment would be lawful.
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee, which is controlled by Republicans, claimed that Bragg’s probe was part of a political conspiracy, and committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) called on the prosecutor to testify voluntarily.
“We’re sick and tired of meddling in federal elections,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) told “State of the Union.”
“I don’t believe that Bragg would be doing this if Donald Trump were not running for president,” he added.