Warner: FBI ready for any possible violence if Trump is indicted

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Sunday said the FBI is “fully prepared” for possible violence after former President Trump called for his supporters to protest a potential arrest as a prosecutor in Manhattan looks into Trump’s alleged role in a hush money payment.

“I’ve been briefed by the FBI. They say they’re fully prepared. But this kind of outrageous behavior. 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 said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The former president called for his supporters to “protest” and “take our nation back” over his anticipated arrest as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) investigates a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump had said he expected to be arrested last Tuesday — though that date passed without an indictment.

“I got briefed before the supposed Tuesday indictment. That didn’t come to pass. We’ve had an update. They’ve seen no specific strains. But the level of rhetoric on some of these right-wing sites has increased again,” Warner said on CNN.

Many have compared Trump’s latest call for protest to his calls to supporters after the 2020 election that culminated in the violent Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol — and his latest rhetoric has raised concerns about possible violence.

Trump has attacked Bragg on social media and appeared to intensify his rhetoric as talk of the potential indictment swirls.

“We all recall the horrors that took place on Jan. 6, spurred on by then-President Trump,” Warner said Sunday, adding that he hopes “the horrific activities that took place on Jan. 6” will not be repeated.

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