Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg slammed top House Republicans mere hours after the lawmakers’ efforts to double down with its inquires into former President Donald Trump’s hush money case.
Bragg, who slammed the GOP leaders’ “unprecedented inquiry” in a letter earlier this week, took on a second co-authored letter about the case from Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), James Comer (R-Ky.) and Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) – three officials who lead the House Judiciary, Oversight and Administration committees, respectively.
Bragg, in his response on Saturday, asserted that his office evaluates cases “based on facts, the law and the evidence.”
“It is not appropriate for Congress to interfere with pending local investigations,” Bragg wrote.
“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 response to the GOP trio, who wrote that they sought documents and testimony on the case, comes after they took issue with a possible indictment of Trump and claimed Bragg is “under political pressure from left-wing activists and former prosecutors in” his office.
“The potential criminal indictment of a former president … implicates substantial federal interests, particularly in a jurisdiction where trial-level judges also are popularly elected,” the top House Republicans argued in a letter on Saturday.
They wrote later: “Your conclusory claim that our constitutional oversight responsibilities will interfere with law enforcement is misplaced and unconvincing.”
The lawmakers, in their letter, also teased that the Judiciary Committee could draft legislation to protect current – and former – presidents “from such improper state and local prosecutions.”
You can read the top House Republicans’ full letter here.
The DA’s office, aside from communication with the House GOP chairs, has acknowledged the possibility of intimidation and threats around the case in recent days.
The office reportedly received a letter containing white powder with a threatening note addressed to “Alvin” on Friday. The contents of the letter were later deemed to be non-hazardous in nature.
