House Republicans have issued their first subpoena in its investigation of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg‘s office.
On Thursday, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) subpoenaed Mark Pomerantz, a former county special assistant district attorney, to appear behind closed doors for a deposition on April 20.
According to the document reviewed by Politico, Rep. Jordan alleged that Bragg’s office directed Pomerantz not to cooperate with oversight.
“Based on your unique role as a special assistant district attorney leading the investigation into President Trump’s finances, you are uniquely situated to provide information that is relevant and necessary to inform the Committee’s oversight and potential legislative reforms,” Jordan wrote in a separate letter to Pomerantz that accompanied the subpoena.
While it’s out of the ordinary for Congress to subpoena a line prosecutor Pomerantz has also written a book where he included details of the New York investigation into Trump and the Trump organization that could make the subpoena harder to resist.
Jordan told Pomerantz that “you have no basis to decline to testify about matters before the Committee that you have already discussed in your book and/or on a prime-time television program with an audience in the millions, including on the basis of any purported duty of confidentiality or privilege interest.”
The subpoena comes just days after Trump appeared in court in New York and pled not guilty to 34 felony counts of “falsifying business records.”
House Republicans are also seeking testimony and official documents from Leslie Dubeck, Bragg’s general counsel.
Dubeck replied to Jordan, Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Administration Chair Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) last week requesting a list of questions they plan to ask Bragg as well as what specific documents they think they could receive that wouldn’t disclose private details of the investigation.
Dubeck also slammed the investigation in her letter calling their accusations of political persecution as “baseless and inflammatory.”
“We urge you to refrain from these inflammatory accusations, withdraw your demand for information, and let the criminal justice process proceed without unlawful political interference,” she added.
Bragg’s office has contended that congressional Republicans have no “legitimate legislative purpose” behind the inquiry into the DA’s Trump probe. But Jordan has contended the inquiry is linked to the national implications of prosecuting a former president — from conflicts between state and federal law to the Secret Service’s role in protecting an ex-president who is also a criminal defendant.
Bragg hit back at House Judiciary Republicans in a fiery statement.
“The House GOP continues to attempt to undermine an active investigation and ongoing New York criminal case with an unprecedented campaign of harassment and intimidation,” Bragg tweeted. “Repeated efforts to weaken state and local law enforcement actions are an abuse of power and will not deter us from our duty to uphold the law.”
“These elected officials would better serve their constituents and the country, and fulfill their oath of office, by doing their jobs in Congress and not introducing on the sovereignty of the state of New York by interfering in an ongoing criminal matter in state court,” he added.
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The country would best be served if you would slither back into the dark corner you came from, so that we will never see you nor hear from you again, Ragg
Bragg is a liar. He took an oath to uphold the law. He has broken this law, showed disdain & disrespect to the law, to Trump, to the people of this country. The american people are already burdened down with all of Biden’s failed policies, his disastrous decisions one after another. And, not this monstrosity. This is a total “farce” or purely “political” move. Bragg hopefully will be disbarred, lose his job, his credibility & his reputation.