Multiple reports indicate that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has agreed to testify before a GOP-led House committee regarding his hush-money case against former President Donald Trump.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) had demanded Bragg’s testimony for a June 13 session, which would focus on what Jordan called “the unprecedented political prosecution of President Trump.”
Jordan also scrutinized Bragg prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, who had transitioned from the New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office to the Justice Department before joining the Manhattan DA’s team in 2022. Critics have labelled Colangelo’s move from federal to local prosecution unusual, with Trump accusing him of political motivations.
Bragg’s counsel, Leslie Dubeck, mentioned that both sides are working through “various scheduling conflicts” to finalize a date for Bragg’s testimony. As reported by The Associated Press, Bragg’s testimony is expected to occur after Trump’s sentencing in July.
On May 30, Trump became the first president to be found guilty in a criminal case. A jury convicted him of 34 counts related to falsifying business records to hide hush-money payments intended to suppress damaging stories, including allegations of an extramarital affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.
Trump has announced plans to appeal his conviction, with sentencing scheduled for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is expected to be nominated as the party’s 2024 presidential candidate.
The Manhattan court handling Trump’s case also addresses a social media post by a self-described “professional s–poster” who claims to know about a juror’s decision before the verdict was announced.
House Republicans have heavily criticized Trump’s prosecution, with some suggesting potential moves to cut funding from the Justice Department or hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt. However, it appears they lack the votes to pursue these actions fully.
Garland responded, “We will continue to do our jobs free from political influence, and we will not back down from defending democracy.”
Jordan, who also leads the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, has previously clashed with Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis over her prosecution of Trump for alleged election fraud.
Currently, the ten counts Trump faces in Fulton County are on hold pending an appeal about whether Willis can remain on the case due to an affair she had with Nathan Wade, the former special prosecutor involved in the case.
