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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says Americans should not protest if Donald Trump is indicted

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Americans should not protest if Donald Trump is indicted, contradicting calls from the former president to "Protest! Take our nation back!"

“I don’t think people should protest this, no,” McCarthy said at a news conference at a Republican retreat in Florida Sunday. “And I think President Trump, if you talk to him, he doesn’t believe that, either.”

“Nobody should harm one another," he said. "We want calmness out there."

McCarthy's comments conflict with a message posted by Trump on social media Saturday, when he said that he expects to be arrested Tuesday in connection with a Manhattan district attorney investigation.

The former president predicted that he will be arrested for his role in making an alleged $130,000 hush money payment to an adult film actress in the waning days of the 2016 election to silence her about claims she'd had an affair with him.

Still, McCarthy also defended Trump in his news conference, and dismissed the investigation by New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation as politically motivated.

“Lawyer after lawyer will tell you this is the weakest case out there, trying to make a misdemeanor a felony,” he said.

Dig deeper: Is Donald Trump likely to be arrested soon? Will he be indicted? What we know

Mar 4, 2023; National Harbor, MD, USA;  Former President Donald J. Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY ORG XMIT: USAT-524242 ORIG FILE ID:  20230304_gma_usa_0370.jpg
Mar 4, 2023; National Harbor, MD, USA; Former President Donald J. Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY ORG XMIT: USAT-524242 ORIG FILE ID: 20230304_gma_usa_0370.jpg

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: McCarthy says Americans should not protest if Donald Trump is indicted