Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg will testify in House GOP probe on his own schedule.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Declines Congressional Testimony on Trump Prosecution
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has declined to testify about his prosecution of former President Donald Trump to House lawmakers next week. In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Bragg’s general counsel, Leslie Dubeck, cited “scheduling conflicts” that will keep him from appearing before Congress. However, Dubeck indicated that Bragg may be open to cooperating with the committee in the future.
“This Office is committed to voluntary cooperation,” Dubeck wrote in a letter first reported by Politico. “That cooperation includes making the District Attorney available to provide testimony on behalf of the Office at an agreed-upon date, and evaluating the propriety of allowing an Assistant District Attorney to testify publicly about an active prosecution to which he is assigned. However, the proposed date that the Subcommittee selected without consulting the Office presents various scheduling conflicts.”
House Republicans had sought to bring Bragg into Congress on June 13 to answer questions about his prosecution of Trump, who was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records brought by the district attorney.
Trump, who maintains his innocence, has called the prosecution a “witch hunt” coordinated by President Biden and Democrats with the intention of kneecapping his presidential campaign. Biden and Bragg have separately denied this accusation, though Republicans continue to allege prosecutors were politically motivated. Bragg had campaigned for office on a promise to “get Trump.”
In the letter, Dubeck criticized the Judiciary Committee’s invitation for Bragg to testify, stating that Jordan “has not made clear the scope of the proposed testimony.”
Dubeck also mentioned that the upcoming sentencing hearing for Trump on July 11 and ongoing proceedings in the trial and appellate courts may hinder Bragg from testifying. Trump has expressed his intention to appeal his criminal conviction, and Dubeck wrote that “to participate in a public hearing at this time would be potentially detrimental to those efforts.”
She asked the committee to negotiate a new hearing date with Bragg’s office and clarify what exactly Republicans want Bragg to testify about. “Everything is on the table as to what is next,” said Stefanie Farrell, a spokesperson for Chairman Jordan.
Stay tuned for further updates on the developments surrounding Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s decision regarding his testimony on the prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
