Bragg’s office accuses House Republicans of illegal political interference – The Washington Post

As of Friday morning, the indictment—with specific charges against Trump—remains unsigned. On his Social Truth platform, Trump maintained a steady attack on Bragg in all-out posts and condemned the impeachment.

“As you have no doubt, former President Trump has directed a scathing indictment against District Attorney Bragg and has threatened on social media that an arrest or prosecution in New York could ‘unleash death & destruction,'” Dubeck wrote.

Dubeck said the GOP chairs—Jim Jordan (Ohio) of the Judiciary Committee; Bryan Steil (Wis.) on the Administration Committee; and James Comer (Ky.) on the Oversight Committee — could have used their position to denounce that insults and urge respect to the justice system.

“Indeed, you and many of your colleagues have attempted to collaborate with Mr. Trump to disparage and discredit the integrity of elected state prosecutors and judges, and the false allegations of the investigative office … have been politically motivated,” Dubeck wrote. “We urge you to refrain from these inflammatory accusations, to withdraw your demands for information, and to proceed with the criminal process without illegal political interference.”

Representatives for Jordan, Steil and Comer did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.

in their March 25 letter to Bragg’s officeThe president said he was seeking the documents because Congress may consider legislation to protect former presidents from state criminal investigations of “personal acts.” Dubeck accused them of finding “an excuse to interfere with the work of our office,” noting that the president did not cite that rationale in the original request for materials.

Jordan and other GOP advocates have been sent before Bragg’s letter on March 20 request documents and testi- mony of the investigation. The demand came after Trump claimed he would be arrested in the coming days and called on his supporters to protest.

In response to Jordan’s first letter, Bragg’s office said their request “steps into territory clearly reserved for states,” and noted that it only came after Trump had “created a false expectation that he would be arrested … and his lawyers reportedly urged him to intervene.”

On Friday, Dubeck reiterated that the commission lacked jurisdiction to prosecute the state’s criminal watchdog. She also pushed the idea that the Manhattan district attorney’s office would not argue that its investigation was politically motivated because it did not provide GOP lawyers with the materials they requested.

“That conclusion is wrong and without merit,” Dubeck wrote Friday. “We do not want in the matter of not complying with the criticism of your letter, because our duty is bound by law, how we publicly handle the criminal case, than the duties of prosecuting throughout the country and as you well know.”

If House Republicans did not withdraw their request, Dubeck again said the district attorney’s office would like to meet to discuss whether to accommodate their request without violating the prosecutors’ obligations.

“We trust that you will make a good faith effort to reach a negotiated resolution before taking the unprecedented and overwhelming level of serving a subpoena on the district attorney for information related to the prosecution of a continuing criminal state,” he concluded.

Jordan’s demands for Bragg’s office have drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, who have pointed out that the right-wing advocate is targeting subpoenas investigating the January 6, 2021 election. In the assembly after the sixth Idus Jan. He decided to report Jordan and other GOP lawyers who also defended their subpoenas before the House Ethics Committee.

Republicans have rallied to Trump’s defense since the former president predicted nearly two weeks ago that he would be arrested. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and several other high-profile GOP figures — including those who could be Trump’s top rivals in the 2024 presidential primary — have accused Bragg, a Democrat, of pursuing political agendas.

Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, was paid $130,000 by Michael Cohen, a lawyer and former Trump fixer. Trump paid Cohen after he became president, in payments that were designated as legal fees. Bragg is believed to be considering costs related to payments that include falsifying records, possibly in the commission of another campaign-related crime.

Jacqueline Alemany contributed to this report.