OAN Geraldyn Berry
UPDATED 2:05 PM – Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has sued Jim Jordan, the head of the House Judiciary Committee, to prevent the Republicans in Congress from interfering with the continuing criminal investigation of former President Donald Trump.
In the court document, Bragg accused House Republicans of waging a “transparent campaign to attack and intimidate” him, calling their attack on his investigation into Trump “unprecedently brazen and unconstitutional.”
In the document, Bragg urged a judge to throw out subpoenas that Jordan (R-Ohio) has issued or intends to issue as part of an inquiry of how Bragg handled the case, which is the first time a former United States president has been charged with a crime.
In relation to 34 felony counts stemming from alleged hush money payments made during his 2016 campaign, Trump entered a not guilty plea last week.
Last month, Chair of the House Administration Committee Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wisc.), Chair of the House Oversight Committee Rep. James Comer, (R-Ky.), and Rep. Jordan had sent a letter to Bragg asking for details about the case, and denouncing the investigation as an “unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority.”
“We believe that we now must consider whether Congress should take legislative action to protect former and/or current Presidents from politically motivated prosecutions by state and local officials, and if so, how those protections should be structured,” the three Republicans wrote. “Critically, due to your own actions, you are now in possession of information critical to this inquiry.”
Responding to that letter, Bragg’s office said that doing so would “interfere with law enforcement” and be a “unlawful incursion into New York’s sovereignty.” Days later, the Republican chairmen replied by threatening to subpoena Bragg.
“It is not appropriate for Congress to interfere with pending local investigations,” Bragg said. “This unprecedented inquiry by federal elected officials into an ongoing matter serves only to hinder, disrupt and undermine the legitimate work of our dedicated prosecutors.”
The lawsuit comes after Jordan had just announced a hearing in New York for next week titled “Victims of Violent Crime in Manhattan” aimed at exploring Bragg’s policies.
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