Former President Donald Trump is “very anxious and does not want to face getting arrested” ahead of a possible indictment over hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, according to The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman.

Haberman made the comments (see video below) as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg signaled his office may be close to filing charges against the former president, a historic moment linked to a $130,000 payment made to Daniels in the final days of Trump’s 2016 campaign. If he is indicted, it would be the first time a former president has been criminally charged.

The investigation is just one of several Trump faces: Others are probing his effort to overturn 2020 election results in Georgia and his absconding with classified documents to his Mar-a-Lago estate.

“He’s very anxious about the prospect of being indicted for a couple of reasons,” Haberman told CNN’s Jake Tapper yesterday. “Two things can be true at once. He is aware that there are reasons to believe this could help him politically … But he does not want to face getting arrested, which is what happens when you get indicted. You get fingerprinted. You get brought in. You have to ask for bail. None of that is something that he is excited about.”

Haberman went on to reiterate her reporting last week that Team Trump is preparing for a broad attack against Bragg and his associates amid any charges, hoping to smear the group as Democratic agents and linking them to his 2024 rival, President Joe Biden. A spokesman for his campaign attacked the investigation last week as a “witch hunt,” threatening that Americans would “not tolerate” an indictment.

Trump himself said this weekend his arrest was imminent, attempting to rally his supporters and calling for protests should any charges be levied against him.

“THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!” he wrote on his Truth Social site.

Haberman said the post wasn’t part of any “grand plan” but still signaled his deep anxiety about the DA’s investigation.

“He and his political folks are preparing for a huge blitz politically to push back on the Manhattan district attorney,” Haberman said. “I don’t think that his Truth Social post yesterday morning calling for protests was part of a grand plan, he did it and a bunch of his aides were surprised by it.”

Ms. Haberman knows what she is talking about!

Tony