Former DOJ official says Trump’s intimidation tactics could ‘poison’ jury pool

A former Justice Department official, Anthony Cole, expressed concern that former President Donald Trump’s remarks and calls for protests could have a negative impact on the jury pool by being viewed as intimidation tactics. In an interview with Jonathan Capehart on MSNBC, Cole stated that Trump might be trying to intimidate local prosecutors and believed that his comments could poison the jury pool.

New York Security Agencies Prepare for Possible Trump Indictment

Trump’s comments came in the form of a post on Truth Social, where he claimed that he would be arrested on the coming Tuesday due to illegal leaks from a corrupt Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Cole found Trump’s “incendiary rhetoric” to be the most problematic aspect, citing similarities to his speech after the 2020 election. He added that they had seen this kind of language before leading into the violent Jan. 6th attack on the Capitol.

Trump’s statements were made in reference to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into hush-money payments made to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star also known as Stephanie Clifford. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney, testified in 2019 that he made payments to Daniels to prevent her from revealing information about an affair she had with Trump back in 2005. Cohen claimed that Trump reimbursed him for these payments in monthly installments.

Cohen, who previously pleaded guilty and served some time for his involvement in the payments, stated on Thursday that he believes an indictment of the former president is forthcoming. If Trump is indicted, it would be the first time that a former U.S. president has been subjected to such a charge. The allegations in the case hinge on whether Trump falsified business records to describe the reimbursement payments as legal expenses.

New York security agencies, including the New York Police Department, New York State Court Officers, the Secret Service, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, have started safety preparations in case of a Trump indictment.

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