Global Courant 2023-04-12 00:15:13
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against Rep. Jim Jordan, alleging that the Republican lawmaker is attempting a campaign of intimidation over his prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
In his lawsuit, the Democratic district attorney said he is taking legal action “in response to an unprecedentedly brutal and unconstitutional attack by members of Congress on an ongoing New York State criminal prosecution and investigation of former President Donald J. Trump.”
Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, left, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, right. (Associated Press)
Bragg is asking a judge to invalidate subpoenas Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has or plans to issue as part of an investigation into Bragg’s handling of the Trump case.
“Chairman Jordan’s subpoena is an unconstitutional attempt to undermine an ongoing criminal prosecution and investigation in New York,” Bragg said. “As our complaint indicates, this is an unprecedented, unlawful interference by Congress that lacks any legal merit and violates the basic tenets of federalism.”
“The Manhattan district attorney’s office focuses on the law and the evidence, not on politics or threats. We look forward to taking our case to court to enforce subpoena enforcement.”
In recent weeks, the Judiciary Committee has issued a subpoena requesting testimony from former prosecutor, Mark Pomerantz, who previously oversaw the Trump investigation. The commission also requested documents and testimony about the case from Bragg and his office. Bragg declined those requests.
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Reached for comment, Jordan’s office sent Fox News Digital to the Republican’s Twitter post accusing Bragg of suing Trump for “no crime.”
“They then sue to block congressional oversight when we question the federal funds they say they were used to,” Jordan wrote.
Trump was indicted late last month on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to bury allegations that he had extramarital sexual encounters. The 2024 presidential candidate has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty at a Manhattan arraignment last week.
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The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing in Manhattan on Monday about crime in New York City and what it says is Bragg’s “pro-crime, anti-victim” policy. However, the prosecution points to statistics showing that violent crime in Manhattan has fallen since Bragg took office in January 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.