NOh he Impeachment of former US President Donald Trump in New York, District Attorney Alvin Bragg is now also suing a leading Republican for interference in the case. Republican Congressman Jim Jordan and the House Judiciary Committee he chairs are responsible for an “unprecedentedly brazen and unconstitutional attack” on the ongoing prosecution against Trump, Bragg said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Manhattan.
This investigation is a “transparent campaign” to “intimidate and attack” him at the state level because of his indictment of Trump, Bragg said. In his statement of claim, the lawyer emphasizes the federal structure of the American state. The US Constitution in no way supports a “campaign of intimidation and retaliation for the investigation and prosecution of the Trump District Attorney under the laws of New York.” The Constitution gives no authority for Congress, as a federal body, to oversee “let alone interrupt” an ongoing state-level criminal investigation.
The move aims to prevent the Judiciary Committee from taking action against Trump’s indictment. In the document, Bragg asks the court to invalidate and unconstitutional a subpoena already served by former New York City Attorney Mark Pomerantz — and any other subpoenas that may exist. Pomerantz was involved in investigations against Trump.
Last week, Trump was the subject of much global attention in connection with hush money payments to a porn star in New York been criminally charged – as the first former US President in history. On March 30, he was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records Hush money payments during his 2016 election campaign accused of wanting to end extramarital relationships. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty.
Accusation of indirect and direct threats
Trump ally Jordan had previously aggressively opposed the responsible prosecutor Bragg and initiated steps by the Judiciary Committee against him. He also claimed without evidence that Bragg was acting under “political pressure from left-wing activists.” It is not ruled out that the committee could also summon the prosecutor himself.
Republican Congressman Jim Jordan during a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing in Washington
Source: dpa/Carolyn Kaster
With their majority in the House of Representatives, the Republicans can advance parliamentary investigations and try to put Bragg under pressure in other ways. According to media reports, the committee announced that it would travel to New York in the coming days to hear the prosecutor’s “victims”. After taking office in 2022, Bragg had to defend himself against allegations that he was too soft on street crime.
The lawsuit now filed mentions indirect and direct threats against Bragg – including a message from Trump. This showed a photo collage with a picture of Trump with a baseball bat next to a picture of the prosecutor. An envelope containing white powder and a death threat received at Bragg’s office are also mentioned. The powder later turned out to be harmless. The office has also received more than 1,000 calls from people claiming to be Trump supporters. Many of those calls were threatening and racist.
Before Trump was indicted, Bragg, Manhattan’s first black district attorney, had already prepared his colleagues for turbulent weeks and months. In a letter to staff quoted in the US media, he promised that all threats against the prosecutor’s office would be investigated: “We will not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.”
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