The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (Monday - Friday, 11:35 p.m. - 12:37 a.m. ET on NBC) will welcome former U.S. Senator and Law & Order star Fred Thompson on Wednesday, September 5 -- on the eve of his long-anticipated announcement of his candidacy for President.

Though the former senator has not yet officially announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the Presidency, his campaign has released a statement confirming that he will announce next week.

On May 30, Thompson asked to be released from his duties on the Emmy Award-winning Law & Order, where he played New York district attorney Arthur Branch. Immediately the press began questioning whether or not his departure from television was due to prepare for a presidential bid. On June 1, Thompson formed Friends of Fred Thompson committee and later announced on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that he was "testing the waters" regarding his possible run for the White House.

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