Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) addresses former President Trump's arrest comments for the first time in a letter to congressional Republicans.
Bragg's general counsel issued a harsh rebuke in a five-page response to GOP House committee chairmen Jim Jordan (Ohio), Bryan Steil (Wis.), and James Comer (Ky.) requests for documents and testimony in the Trump investigation.
On Thursday, Bragg addressed the claim by former President Trump that he would be arrested in connection to an investigation into a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, calling it the creation of a “false expectation.”
According to The Hill, Bragg responded to demands by House Republicans pushing to force his testimony and turn over all documents and communication on the case, in a letter to Congress that such a move was an “unprecendent[ed] inquiry into a pending local prosecution.”
“The letter only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene,” Bragg wrote.
“If charges are brought at the conclusion, it will be because the rule of law and faithful execution of the District Attorney's duty require it,” he continued.
“The Letter's allegation that the DA's Office is pursuing a prosecution for political purposes is unfounded, and regardless, the proper forum for such a challenge is the Courts of New York, which are equipped to consider and review such objections.”
“Your letter treads into territory very clearly reserved to the states. It suggests that Congress's investigation is being ‘conducted solely for the personal aggrandizement of the investigators or to “punish” those investigated,' and is, therefore, ‘indefensible,'” he writes, pointing to a 1957 Supreme Court ruling limiting congressional investigations.
On Saturday, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday in connection to the probe. But as of Thursday morning, no charges have been announced and the grand jury weighing the case is not expected to meet for the rest of the week. (RELATED: Trump ‘Hush Money' Grand Jury Will Not Meet Rest Of Week)
Trump's call to protest the indictment was shortly followed by a demand from the trio of House Republican chairmen on Monday for testimony from Bragg ahead of his anticipated prosecution of Trump.
As American Liberty News previously reported, prosecutors are expected to charge Trump with a felony by arguing that the alleged crime was committed to hide an illegal campaign contribution. The potential problem for Trump centers around how his company reimbursed former attorney Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to related charges and served time in prison.
The payment to Daniels was listed as a legal expense and Trump's company cited a retainer agreement with Cohen. The retainer agreement did not exist and the reimbursement was not related to any legal services from Cohen, thus setting up a potential misdemeanor criminal charge of falsifying business records. A report by NBC News said that Trump personally signed several of the checks to Cohen while he was serving as president.
However, on Monday the grand jury heard testimony from former federal prosecutor Robert Costello which could have the potential to derail Bragg's case entirely. (RELATED: Harvard Law Professor Says This Testimony Has Potential To Sink Manhattan DA's Case)
Costello, who Cohen turned to for legal advice regarding the alleged hush money payment, testified to the grand jury that Cohen said that the hush money payments were his idea, not Trump's.
“They seemed clearly one-sided and not after the truth,” Costello told The New York Times afterward.
Prosecutors can elevate the misdemeanor to a felony if they can prove that Trump's “‘intent to defraud' included an intent to commit or conceal a second crime.”
Prosecutors argue that the second crime is that the $130,000 hush payment was an improper donation to the Trump campaign because the money was used to stop a story for the purpose of benefiting his presidential campaign.
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Bragg brought his fake charges against Pres Trump only AFTER Pres Trump declared his candidacy for the Presidential Election. I declare Bragg to be guilty of interfering with a Presidential Election.
He certainly did because he does not want to be literally exposed for what he is.
If anyone needs a hint as to what he is, drop the “Br” from his last name and insert “F” and you know it. To make it easier to stomach some people use the “g” word which they aren’t happy either, they are homo.
Bragg said during his campaign that he would go after Trump! So, why would anyone vote for someone like this whose attention is not on the job but on a vendetta? Bragg has no idea of the backlash he will receive & deservingly so.
its not that hard why think about it. its NY
well they did vote in james campaigning for doing the same. going after Trump.
I mean come on. the dems voted for biden who sat in his basement and never campaigned.
dems voted for a Senator no where near recovered from a serious health condition (Stroke) but only voted for him because he “looked like them” (fetterman).
If we had a real justice department, they should have their law licenses suspended.
If we had a real justice department, they should have their law licenses suspended.