District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrives on the office of District Attorney, after a message was posted on the Truth Social account of former U.S. President Donald Trump stating that he had expected to be arrested, and called on his supporters to protest, in Recent York City, U.S. March 22, 2023.Â
Caitlin Ochs | Reuters
A push from House Republicans to get Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to testify about his probe and expected indictment of former President Donald Trump is “unprecedented,” an advisor to Bragg told GOP lawmakers Thursday.
The Manhattan DA’s general counsel, Leslie Dubeck, offered a scathing response to GOP lawmakers in a letter addressed to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis. She called their request “an unprecedent inquiry right into a pending local prosecution” that only got here about after Trump “created a false expectation” that he can be arrested Tuesday.
The unique letter from the three House Republicans on Monday requested testimony and documents from Bragg in regards to the expected indictment of Trump in a case related to a hush money payment his ex-fixer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election. Trump was not arrested on Tuesday, and the grand jury deciding the previous president’s fate may not resolve whether to indict him until next week, in keeping with NBC Recent York.
In responding to Republicans, Dubeck questioned congressional authority to look into Bragg’s investigation.
“Congress just isn’t the suitable branch to review pending criminal matters,” Dubeck said within the letter to Jordan and the 2 other House Republicans dated Thursday.
She later continued: “The Letter’s requests are an illegal incursion into Recent York’s sovereignty. Congress’s investigative jurisdiction is derived from and limited by its power to legislate concerning federal matters.”
Dubeck appeared to concede to not less than one in all the Republicans’ asks on whether any federal funds were utilized in the investigation into Trump and the 2016 payoff to Daniels.
“To help Congress in understanding the ways through which the DA’s Office has used federal funds, we’re preparing and can submit a letter describing its use of federal fund,” Dubeck said.
She later added, “We request a meet and confer to grasp whether the Committee has any legitimate legislative purpose within the requested materials that could possibly be accommodated without impeding those sovereign interests.
Dubeck’s response to House Republicans comes as Jordan and other Trump defenders leverage the facility of their committees to attempt to discredit the Manhattan investigation.
A spokesman for Jordan didn’t return a request for comment.
The House Judiciary’s Twitter account posted on Thursday “Alvin Bragg should give attention to prosecuting actual criminals in Recent York City fairly than harassing a political opponent in one other state.”Â
Follow live updates on the potential indictment of Trump here.
