Advertisement
Trending

Manhattan DA Bragg Fires Off Desperate Response to House Republicans

Advertisement

OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


It’s not been a great week for the George Soros-backed leftist district attorney of Manhattan, Alvin Bragg.

After news broke last week that the grand jury he convened to investigate Donald Trump for an alleged improper “hush money” payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, the former president got out in front of the story and managed to rake in $1.5 million for his 2024 campaign. There has been no arrests yet, as reports suggested there would be; in fact, not only has there not been an indictment at all, but Bragg released the grand on Thursday for at least a week, according to various news outlets.

Even more embarrassing for him and his office, now he’s attempting to grasp every law he can in order to avoid having to appear before a Republican-led House committee to answer what will no doubt be tough questions from GOP lawmakers who are already highly suspicious that Bragg’s investigation of Trump was motivated not by any possible legal infractions, but strictly by politics as Democrats appear desperate to keep Trump off the ticket next year at any cost.

On Thursday, a spokesperson from Bragg’s office responded to House Republicans after they launched an investigation earlier in the week into his Trump probe, stating that they do not have a “legitimate basis” for their inquiry.

Advertisement

Leslie Dubeck, the in-house general counsel for the prosecutor leading the investigation, referred to the lawmakers’ request for communications, documents, and testimony as “an unprecedented inquiry into a pending local prosecution.”

Their requests, Dubeck noted further, “are an unlawful incursion into New York’s sovereignty. Congress’s investigative jurisdiction is derived from and limited by its power to legislate concerning federal matters,” according to the Daily Wire.

In response to reports suggesting that an indictment against Trump was imminent, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), and House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) wrote a letter to Bragg on Monday, warning of “an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority: the indictment of a former President of the United States and current declared candidate for that office.”

During the weekend, Trump stated that he anticipated being arrested on Tuesday and urged his supporters to protest. However, a spokesperson for the former president later clarified that Trump had not received any official “notification” and suggested that media reports about law enforcement preparing for a potential indictment were “illegal leaks.”

In Bragg’s response to GOP leaders, Dubeck claimed their inquiry “only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene.”

Advertisement

“Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry,” Dubeck added in the correspondence, which was posted online by Punchbowl News.

Dubeck referred to a New York Times report which stated that Trump’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, had written to Jordan last month, urging Congress to investigate the “egregious abuse of power” by what he characterized as a “rogue local district attorney.”

Dubeck concluded by saying that Bragg’s team “will not allow a Congressional investigation to impede the exercise of New York’s sovereign police power,” but added that his office “will always treat a fellow government entity with due respect.” As such, Dubeck added, Bragg’s team is requesting a “meet and confer to understand whether the Committee has any legitimate legislative purpose in the requested materials that could be accommodated without impeding those sovereign interests.”

Test your skills with this Quiz!

On Wednesday night, Jordan revealed that he was expanding his investigation into Bragg by sending inquiries to Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz, the prosecutors who were leading the Trump investigation and had resigned last year due to their frustration with Bragg’s hesitation to pursue an indictment at that time.

“Alvin Bragg should focus on prosecuting actual criminals in New York City rather than harassing a political opponent in another state,” the House Judiciary Committee, which Jordan chairs, tweeted following details of Bragg’s response letter being reported. “Make Manhattan Safe Again!”

Advertisement