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Manhattan DA Bragg sues Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan over Trump case interference
By
Samantha Max
Published Apr 11, 2023
Modified Apr 12, 2023
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Kena Betancur/Getty Images
By
Samantha Max
Published Apr 11, 2023
Modified Apr 12, 2023
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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is suing House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) over what he deems a “brazen and unconstitutional attack” on his office’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
Bragg announced the suit on Tuesday, days after Jordan’s committee subpoenaed Mark Pomerantz, a former assistant district attorney who was investigating Trump before he resigned from the DA’s office in 2022. Bragg has faced criticism from Trump supporters after he secured an indictment of the former president last week.
The suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, accuses Jordan of dramatically overstepping his authority by interfering in a local criminal prosecution — albeit one that is drawing international attention.
“Chairman Jordan’s demands, including his subpoena to Mr. Pomerantz, seek highly sensitive and confidential local prosecutorial information that belongs to the Office of the District Attorney and the People of New York,” the suit alleges. “Basic principles of federalism and common sense, as well as binding Supreme Court precedent, forbid Congress from demanding it.”
In a statement on Twitter, Jordan maintained that he is acting within his oversight role: “First, they indict a president for no crime. Then, they sue to block congressional oversight when we ask questions about the federal funds they say they used to do it."
The lawsuit comes as the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee prepares to hold a hearing with victims of violent crime at the Javits Federal Building next week. The committee hasn’t shared much information about the hearing, but an event description on its website says it will “examine how Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s pro-crime, anti-victim policies have led to an increase in violent crime and a dangerous community for New York City residents.”
At an unrelated press conference Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams said Republican lawmakers should focus on crime in their own communities — not in New York City, where he said data is “trending in the right direction.”
“Why are they here? They should be holding a hearing in their municipalities to deal with the issues there,” he said.
Shootings and homicides are down in Manhattan so far this year, and also decreased in the borough last year, according to NYPD data. But conservatives have frequently criticized Bragg for his progressive policies, citing a memo he sent to his staff after taking office instructing them not to prosecute certain minor crimes. Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate in New York's gubernatorial election last year, said he would remove Bragg from office if elected.
Bragg’s lawsuit claims the judiciary committee is using the hearing as an excuse to interfere in his office’s prosecution of the former president and to “intimidate and attack” the DA.
It also notes that Bragg has received death threats and cites a since-deleted photo Trump posted on his social media site, Truth Social, which depicted the former president holding a baseball bat next to a picture of Bragg’s head.
The suit asks the courts to block the judiciary committee from subpoenaing Pomerantz and from obtaining grand jury materials or other documents and communications the DA’s office claims should be kept confidential under attorney-client privilege.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the location of Monday's hearing. It's at the Javits Federal Building.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
Trump Indictment
Alvin Bragg
Politics
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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