(CNSNews.com) - Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg issued a brief statement Thursday night confirming reports that the 45th president of the United States has been indicted -- a historical first -- on charges not yet revealed, but apparently having something to do with a payment on his behalf to a porn star before the 2016 election.
"This evening we contacted Mr. Trump's attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.'s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal," Bragg said. "Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected."
Press reports said Trump is expected to appear in a Manhattan court on Tuesday.
Trump, in furious reaction, released a statement calling the indictment "Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history."
He later posted a message on his Truth Social platform, calling his indictment "AN ATTACK ON OUR COUNTRY" and "A CONTINUING ATTACK ON OUR ONCE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS." Trump warned that the United States "IS NOW A THIRD WORLD NATION."
His full statement and subsequent Truth Social message are posted in full below:
Trump's full statement:
“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history. From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats – the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country – have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement. You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this.
“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable – indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference.
“Never before in our Nation’s history has this been done. The Democrats have cheated countless times over the decades, including spying on my campaign, but weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a President of the United States and by far the leading Republican candidate for President, has never happened before. Ever.
“Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who was hand-picked and funded by George Soros, is a disgrace. Rather than stopping the unprecedented crime wave taking over New York City, he’s doing Joe Biden’s dirty work, ignoring the murders and burglaries and assaults he should be focused on. This is how Bragg spends his time!
“I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden. The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it. So our Movement, and our Party – united and strong – will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump's Truth Social Post:
"These Thugs and Radical Left Monsters have just INDICATED the 45th President of the United States of America, and the leading Republican Candidate, by far, for the 2024 Nomination for President. THIS IS AN ATTACK ON OUR COUNTRY THE LIKES OF WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE. IT IS LIKEWISE A CONTINUING ATTACK ON OUR ONCE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS. THE USA IS NOW A THIRD WORLD NATION, A NATION IN SERIOUS DECLINE. SO SAD!"
Almost exactly one year ago, Bragg released a statement confirming that his investigation into Donald J. Trump was "continuing."
Bragg wrote in part:
"High-profile, complex investigations have been trademarks of my professional career.
"As a state prosecutor and a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, I successfully brought cases involving money laundering, witness tampering, mortgage fraud, official "misconduct, and bribery.
"And, I went wherever the facts took me, prosecuting two mayors, a city council member, an FBI agent, a former Senate Majority Leader, a District Attorney, and business executives.
"Indeed, litigation involving the former president himself is not foreign to me. As the Chief Deputy at the New York State Attorney General’s Office, I oversaw the successful litigation against the former president, his family, and the Trump Foundation.
"These experiences shape my approach and the investigative steps that the team is hard at work on. Prosecutors fulfilling their duties cannot and do not bring only cases that are 'slam dunks.'
"To the contrary, every case must be brought for the right reason – namely that justice demands it. That’s what I’ve done throughout my career, regardless of how easy or tough a case might be."
And before that, while running for office in January 2021, Bragg told a YouTube/"Hot 97" interviewer, "I believe we have to hold him (Trump) accountable.
Bragg said he was the "only candidate in the race who has the experience with Donald Trump," noting that "we sued the Trump administration over 100 times" when he was chief deputy in the New York Attorney General's Office.
Bragg won the election for Manhattan Borough District Attorney in November 2021.