Former President Trump claimed over the weekend that he'll be arrested this week, touching off a political firestorm. It comes as the Manhattan district attorney is investigating an alleged hush money payment during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump supporters and opponents are calling it a political prosecution and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is ready to direct a House committee to investigate the D.A.
Even potential presidential opponents are now speaking up on Trump's behalf.
His former Vice President Mike Pence said, "It just feels like a politically charged prosecution here, and I, for my part, I just feel like it's just not what the American people want to see."
Trump is calling for protests. But McCarthy said, "I don't think people should protest this, no."
And Pence told ABC's "This Week" program, "I believe that people understand that if they give voice to this, if this occurs on Tuesday, that they need to do so peacefully and in a lawful manner."
Trump's claim involves the Manhattan D.A.'s investigation into an alleged hush money payment prior to the 2016 election to porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump has denied her claim that they had an affair.
A Trump spokesperson has issued a statement clarifying that the D.A. provided "no notification" on the arrest.
Manhattan's District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been building a case and says he will not be intimidated.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) declared on ABC's "This Week" that Trump is not immune from prosecution.
"No one is above the law, not even the former president of the United States," she said. "If it's time to bring indictments, then they'll bring indictments. That's how our legal system works."
Attorney and Law professor Alan Dershowitz, a Trump opponent, called the case a "weaponizing of the prosecutor's office" for political purposes.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who is considering running for the GOP presidential nomination, said the potential indictment is generating sympathy for Trump.
"This is likely some sort of misdemeanor on an issue seven years ago," he said. "I just think that the, not just the media, but really a lot of the Democrats have misplayed this in terms of building sympathy for the former president, and it does drastically change the paradigm as we go into the 2024 election."
Still, Trump's attorney told CNBC that if indicted, Trump will surrender to face criminal charges.
Meanwhile, House Speaker McCarthy will ask Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan to investigate whether Bragg is using federal funds in his investigation.
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