OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The 2024 campaign of former President Donald Trump has announced his first major rally, which will be held later this month in Texas.
According to Newsmax, the former president will travel to Waco for an evening rally on March 25.
“Trump spent the first months of his campaign mostly confined to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, but has begun to make visits to early-voting states. On Monday, he took his first trip to Iowa, which will hold the Republican Party’s first nominating contest,” The Associated Press reported.
News of Trump’s first big rally comes as several law enforcement agencies are reportedly preparing for a potential indictment of him as early as next week, as the Manhattan district attorney’s office in New York City has “asked for a meeting” with those agencies.
According to Fox News, a court source reported that a meeting was requested on Thursday but has yet to be scheduled. According to the source familiar with the planning, the purpose of the meeting is to “discuss logistics for some time next week, which would mean that they are anticipating an indictment next week.”
In response to the news, a spokesperson for Trump, Steven Cheung, issued a statement to Fox News Digital criticizing the District Attorney Alvin Bragg, calling his investigation a “witch hunt” and alleging that Bragg was under the influence of President Biden and “radical Democrats.”
“President Donald J. Trump is completely innocent, he did nothing wrong, and even the biggest, most Radical Left Democrats are making that clear,” Cheung said. “From Russia, Russia, Russia, to the Mueller Hoax, to Impeachment Hoaxes 1 and 2, and even the Unlawful Mar-a-Lago Raid, Democrats have investigated and attacked President Trump since before he was elected – and they’ve failed every time.
“Now Democrats are at it again, pushing the ‘Nuclear Button’ and attacking a President because of a disgraced extortionist,” he added. “This is happening because President Trump is leading in the polls by a large margin against both Democrats and Republicans, and there’s never been anything so blatant in American political history.”
Cheung continued: “Everyone knows it’s a sham. In fact, the Department of Justice stocked the DA’s office with top people from DC to help ‘Get Trump’ at a local level. Americans will not tolerate Radical Left Democrats turning our justice system into an injustice system to influence a presidential election, which is all they want to do. Our Country is not going to let this happen. This will backfire massively for the Democrat Party, and end in disgrace for our Nation.”
The possible indictment is linked to the investigation that has been ongoing for several years concerning Trump’s alleged involvement in a hush money scandal with adult film actress Stormy Daniels. In the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, sent $130,000 to Daniels to keep quiet about her affair with Trump in 2006. Trump later repaid Cohen in installments, Fox News noted.
“The agencies preparing are the NYPD, New York State Court Officers, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office,” the Western Journal reported, citing NBC News.
Sources familiar with the matter are stating that preparations are underway for Trump’s initial appearance at the Manhattan Criminal Court, the report continued.
No former president has ever been charged with a crime, much less convicted, in the history of the nation.
As for the Secret Service, by law, the agency is charged with protecting current and former presidents, which would explain its involvement in any process to have Trump indicted. It’s not clear what role the agency would play if Trump were actually to be locked up.
Earlier this week, a potential 2024 Republican presidential contender, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, called on Trump to drop out of the race if he is indicted on one or more potential charges stemming from several criminal investigations by federal and state authorities.
“It doesn’t mean that he’s guilty of it or he should be charged,” said Hutchinson, who served as governor until earlier this year. “But it’s just such a distraction that would be unnecessary for somebody who’s seeking the highest office in the land.”