Bragg Calls GOP Attacks Of Trump Indictment ‘Baseless And Inflammatory’ In New Letter

Topline

New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s team urged House GOP committee chairs Friday to call for calm rather than inflame tensions surrounding the indictment of former President Donald Trump, rejecting claims the charges are political and noting New York citizens were the ones who made the choice to move forward with charging the 45th president.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrives at the District Attorney’s office in New York, … [+] Thursday, March. 30, 2023.

AP/Yuki Iwamura

Key Facts

In a letter addressed to Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), James Comer (R-Ky.) and Bryan Steil (R-Wis.)—three committee chairmen who have previously written letters criticizing Bragg—the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said the charges filed Thursday were brought by citizens of New York “doing their civic duty as members of a grand jury,” noting the jury found probable cause to accuse Trump of committing crimes in New York.

The letter was signed by Leslie B. Dubeck, general counsel for Bragg’s office and accuses the chairmen and their colleagues of collaborating with Trump to “vilify and denigrate” the integrity of elected state prosecutors and trial judges.

Dubeck asked them to denounce the many harsh remarks directed at the District Attorney’s office, including Trump’s own comment from earlier this month that an indictment may lead to “death & destruction.”

Dubeck also asked the chairmen to refrain from “inflammatory accusations,” requesting they allow the criminal justice process to play out without “unlawful political interference.”

While Trump can challenge the charges in court, neither Congress nor Trump can interfere with the New York proceedings, Dubeck said.

News Peg

A Manhattan grand jury voted Thursday to indict Trump in connection with hush-money payments he purportedly made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. Because the indictment was made under seal, the charges have yet to be reported, but CNN, citing unnamed sources, said Trump is facing more than 30 counts related to business fraud.

Key Background

Earlier this month, Jordan, Comer and Steil wrote to Bragg, demanding he testify before Congress about his investigation into Trump, describing the then-potential indictment as a politically motivated probe. In the letter, the chairmen called the investigation an “unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority” and said the D.A.’s office spent years looking for an excuse to charge Trump. Bragg responded a few days later, calling their request an “unprecedented inquiry” into a local prosecution and questioned its legislative purpose.

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