Washington, D.C. – The New York prosecutor overseeing the charges against former US President Donald Trump has hit back at key Republican lawmakers, calling their allegations that the case is politically motivated “baseless and inflammatory.”
In a letter addressed to the heads of the powerful panels of the House of Representatives on Friday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg denied lawmakers’ request for documents from the state’s Trump investigation.
Bragg, an elected Democrat, reiterated that Congress has no right to interfere in a local prosecution.
“Like any other defendant, Mr. Trump has the right to challenge these allegations in court and to avail himself of all processes and protections afforded by the robust New York State criminal justice process,” the letter, signed by Leslie, said. Dubeck, the District Attorney’s General Counsel.
“Neither Trump nor Congress can do is interfere with the normal course of business in New York State.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg left office following the historic decision to indict Donald Trump.
Bragg led the investigation into hush money paid to an adult movie star, leading to a grand jury vote to indict the former US president 👇 pic.twitter.com/FHYqB3udzd
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 31, 2023
The letter came less than 24 hours after a grand jury voted to indict Trump in connection with a hush money payment made by his former personal attorney to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The exact charges remain unclear.
It is the latest response in a back-and-forth exchange between Bragg’s office and the Republican chairmen of the House judiciary, oversight and governance committees.
The senior Republicans first sent a letter to Bragg’s office on March 20 — days after Trump, who is seeking the presidency again in 2024, said he expected to be arrested in the New York investigation.
At the time, they demanded that the prosecutor testify about what they called a “politically motivated prosecution decision” and also requested internal documents related to the investigation.
Bragg responded by claiming that their requests constituted an “unlawful encroachment on New York’s sovereignty.” In the US federal system, states are responsible for overseeing and administering their own justice system.
Republican lawmakers again wrote to Bragg last week, arguing that “the potential criminal indictment of a former president of the United States by an elected local prosecutor of the opposing political party (and who faces the prospect of re-election) represents a substantial federal interests”.
On Friday, Bragg’s office called Republican lawmakers’ focus on the Trump case “an inappropriate and dangerous usurpation of executive and judicial functions.”
The Trump indictment was the first time a former president had been charged with criminal charges. It sparked an avalanche of criticism from Republicans, who accused Bragg of interfering in the 2024 election.
Many of Trump’s potential presidential primary rivals also defended him and brought down the New York prosecutor.
“Arming the justice system to advance a political agenda is turning the rule of law upside down,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to announce a presidential bid, said in a social media post. “It’s un-American.”
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also accused Bragg of weaponizing the “sacred justice system” against the former president, while GOP Congressman Clay Higgins said in a tweet, “Bragg is a political pawn in a game he’s too stupid to understand. He is a peon, a fat zero.”
Friday’s letter also offered Bragg a chance to defend the charges, which have not been made public.
“The charges filed yesterday were brought by citizens of New York, who were fulfilling their civic duty as members of a grand jury, and who found probable cause to charge Mr. Trump with committing crimes in New York,” it said. .
Grand juries, which approve indictments, are made up of randomly selected citizens.
Bragg’s office also chided Republican House panel chairs for failing to denounce Trump’s attacks on the justice system, noting that the former president last week warned of potential “death and destruction” if indicted.
“Instead, you and many of your colleagues have chosen to cooperate with Mr. Trump’s efforts to defame and belittle the integrity of elected prosecutors and judges and make baseless allegations that the Bureau’s investigation, conducted through an independent grand jury of average citizens representing New York State, is politically motivated,” the letter said.
Trump is expected to face charges next week, when he will enter the criminal justice system and appear in court to formally present charges.
US law does not prohibit criminals from running for president, so Trump will likely continue his 2024 campaign.