Trump wrote on his online platform Truth Social on Saturday that he should be arrested on Tuesday. Previously, there were increasing signs of charges against the 76-year-old Republican in the affair of a hush money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels. However, no charges have yet been filed against Trump.

According to media reports, a decision should not be made until next week at the earliest. The responsible grand jury, a lay body responsible for indictments, therefore did not want to deal with the Trump case on Thursday, but rather next Monday at the earliest.

Republican MPs Jim Jordan, James Comer and Bryan Steil accused Bragg of "unprecedented abuse" of his official powers after Trump's Truth Social statement over the weekend and asked him to testify before Congress about his investigation and provide relevant documents.

The Manhattan Attorney's Office rejected this in a letter to the three MPs on Thursday. Referring to the Republican letter sent Monday, the agency wrote: "The letter came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and after his attorneys reportedly urged you to take action. None of these facts is a legitimate basis for a congressional investigation."

The investigation against Trump involves a hush money payment of $ 130,000 (around 120,000 euros) to the porn actress Stephanie Clifford, known under the name Stormy Daniels. The payment before the 2016 presidential election was apparently intended to prevent the porn star, who claims to have had a sex affair with Trump in 2006, from going public, which could have harmed the presidential candidate.

The question is whether the payment was booked illegally and to what extent it violated campaign finance laws. Trump has denied both an affair with Stormy Daniels and any wrongdoing in connection with the hush money payment. The right-wing populist, who wants to retake the White House in 2024, repeatedly describes the investigations and other allegations as a politically motivated "witch hunt".