WASHINGTON — Three House Republican committee leaders sent a letter Monday to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Brock asking him to testify before Congress about “what appears to be a politically motivated prosecutorial decision” in any possible indictment in the prosecutor’s hush-hush investigation of former President Donald Trump. .
“The charge against the former President of the United States and current declared candidate for that office: You are engaging in an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial power,” the letter read.
It comes ahead of a pending New York grand jury verdict in the case.
“This indictment provides a basis for your office for years to bring charges — on what basis — and ultimately settled on a new legal theory that has not been tested anywhere in the country and that federal authorities have refused to pursue,” their lawmakers continued. “If these statements are accurate, your actions will undermine confidence in the equal application of justice and irrevocably interfere with the course of the 2024 presidential election.”
The letter was signed by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.; and House Administration Chairman Brian Steele, R-Wis.
The letter is not a subpoena, but represents the committees’ first investigative action after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., vowed to investigate individuals who questioned Trump.
GOP leaders have argued that Bragg’s “star witness” is former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who they allege has a “serious credibility problem.” They asked Bragg to share communications between his office and the Justice Department since January 2017 and other Trump-related documents. Leaders asked Bragg to testify in a transcript interview “about these matters as soon as possible” and asked him to provide documents and contact the panel to schedule his interview by 10 a.m. Thursday.
The request for Bragg’s testimony comes after Trump indicated on Saturday that “illegal leaks” would lead to his arrest on Tuesday. In posts on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump referenced reports that he may soon face criminal charges in New York related to hush payments to adult film star Stormi Daniels. Trump has not said whether he has been notified by law enforcement of the impending indictment. Trump’s spokesman later clarified in a statement that he had “no notice other than illegal leaks from the Department of Justice and the DA’s office to NBC” and other news organizations.
NBC News reported Friday that law enforcement agencies were preparing to indict Trump earlier this week.
The grand jury has yet to return an indictment as its members hear testimony Monday from attorney Robert “Bob” Costello, a former legal adviser to longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
Over the weekend, congressional Republicans voiced support for Trump ahead of a possible grand jury decision. At a House GOP conference retreat in Orlando, Florida, McCarthy defended Trump in full, dismissed Bragg’s investigation as politically motivated and said the attorney general was not interested in curbing rising crime in New York City.
McCarthy, however, called for silence and urged Americans not to protest if the former president was indicted and arrested.
