Bragg must explain himself.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is set to testify before a GOP-led House committee regarding his hush-money case involving former President Donald Trump, according to several reports.
In May, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) summoned Bragg to appear at a planned June 13 session to discuss what he described as the “unprecedented political prosecution of President Trump.”
Jordan also focused on Matthew Colangelo, a prosecutor under Bragg, who transitioned from the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James to the Justice Department before joining the Manhattan DA’s office in 2022. Critics argue that Colangelo’s move from federal to local prosecution is unusual, and Trump has claimed that this switch was politically driven.
Bragg’s office has not dismissed the possibility of Colangelo testifying but indicated that it needs to evaluate the request more thoroughly.
Bragg’s attorney, Leslie Dubeck, referred to Bragg’s decision to testify as an act of “voluntary cooperation.” She mentioned that scheduling conflicts need to be resolved before a date can be confirmed, likely after Trump’s sentencing in July, according to The Associated Press.
Trump was convicted on May 30, becoming the first U.S. president found guilty in a criminal case. The jury convicted him on 34 counts related to falsifying business records to hide hush money payments aimed at suppressing negative stories, including allegations of an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The former president plans to appeal the conviction. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11, shortly before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is expected to be nominated as the party’s 2024 presidential candidate.
In the meantime, the Manhattan court is investigating a social media post by a self-identified “professional troll” who claimed to have known a juror’s voting intentions before the verdict was announced.
House Republicans have strongly criticized Trump’s prosecution, with some suggesting potential funding cuts to the Justice Department or holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt. However, it appears they lack the votes to pursue these actions.
Garland responded firmly, stating, “We will continue to do our jobs free from political influence. And we will not back down from defending democracy.”
Jordan, who also leads the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, has previously clashed with Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis, demanding documents related to her investigation into Trump’s alleged election fraud.
Currently, the ten charges Trump faces in Fulton County are on hold pending an appeal regarding whether Willis can continue on the case due to an alleged affair with Nathan Wade, the former special prosecutor on the case.