Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg formally refused to cooperate with the House Republicans’ congressional investigation into “unprecedented abuse” of authority against former President Donald Trump upon the expectation the former president would be arrested this week in connection with Bragg’s investigation, Breitbart News learned Thursday.
Bragg denied providing testimony and documenters to top House Republican leadership due to “an unprecedented inquiry into a pending local prosecution,” he replied to Republicans.
On Monday, Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Oversight Committee chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY), and Administration Committee chairman Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) demanded Bragg comply with the committee’s request for documents and testimony in anticipation of the possible indictment.
The anticipation was generated after Trump announced Saturday that he expected to be arrested in the coming days based on “illegal leaks” from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, which is investigating Trump’s alleged role in hush money paid to Stormy Daniels.
“The Letter 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,” Bragg’s replied to Republicans. “Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry.”
“[T]he District Attorney is obliged by the federal and state constitutions to protect the independence of state law enforcement functions from federal interference,” he added.
2023.03.23 Letter Response From Manhattan DA by Breitbart News on Scribd
Bragg’s response comes as Republicans have raised concerning questions about Bragg’s investigation.
“Was the Manhattan DA’s office in communication with DOJ about their investigation of President Trump?” Jordan asked. “Was the Manhattan DA’s office using federal funds to investigate President Trump?”
“I think we should hear Alvin Bragg testify before Congress, under oath, about his vision and the fact that this is wildly political and the fact that this was not pursued by federal courts and the fact that the Department of Justice passed on this,” House Republican conference chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) told Breitbart News on Monday.
Many legal experts believe Bragg’s potential case against Trump is shaky and may not hold up in court.
“The case is legally pathetic,” Jonathan Turley, the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, said. “It is extremely difficult to show that paying money to cover up an embarrassing affair was done for election purposes as opposed to an array of obvious other reasons, from protecting a celebrity’s reputation to preserving a marriage.”
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Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.
