A source familiar with the matter confirmed the development The Epoch Times on Tuesday.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and a top prosecutor are slated to appear before the Republican-led House committee in July, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Epoch Times on Tuesday.
Mr. Bragg will appear before the House Select Committee on Weaponization alongside Michael Colangelo, a former Department of Justice (DOJ) official who led the investigation into former President Donald Trump, a person familiar with the negotiations said, confirming reports that they will appear before the panel on July 12.
In late May, former President Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments made to an adult film performer during the 2016 presidential campaign, allegations that he denied. He is slated to be sentenced on July 11.
Late last week, Mr. Braggâs office sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee confirming that the Manhattan district attorney would cooperate with their investigation but noted that former President Trump has yet to be sentenced. The letter also sought to understand the scope of the testimony that he would be providing.
Mr. Bragg, a former civil rights lawyer and law professor, is in his first term as Manhattanâs district attorney and took on the Trump case when he was elected to office in 2021. Previously, he worked on Trump-related matters alongside Mr. Colangelo when they were under the New York attorney generalâs office.
In the trial, Mr. Colangelo gave the opening statement and questioned multiple witnesses in connection to the Trump case.
Several Republicans, including House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), have claimed that Mr. Colangeloâs hiring in late 2022âseveral months before the former president was indicated by Mr. Braggâs officeâsuggests that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is colluding with the Manhattan district attorneyâs office in the case. The DOJ has denied those allegations, including in a letter that was issued Tuesday to Mr. Jordan.
Mr. Braggâs general counsel, Leslie Dubeck, said in a letter that there were âscheduling conflictsâ but indicated Mr. Bragg would testify if certain conditions were met.
âThis Office is committed to voluntary cooperation,â Ms. Dubeck wrote in a letter dated June 7. âThat cooperation includes making the District Attorney available to provide testimony on behalf of the Office at an agreed-upon date, and evaluating the propriety of allowing an Assistant District Attorney to testify publicly about an active prosecution to which he is assigned.â
The Republican-controlled Judiciary Committeeâs previous letter also didnât make clear the âscope of the proposed testimonyâ from Mr. Bragg, an elected Democrat, Ms. Dubeck said.
âAs with the prior inquiries from this Committee, we look forward to discussing with committee staff how the Office may be able to accommodate the Committeeâs invitation, while also protecting the integrity of an ongoing criminal prosecution and New Yorkâs sovereign interests,â the letter continued.
Mr. Jordan has long been critical of Mr. Braggâs prosecution of the former president, again claiming in early June during a Fox News interview that he believes the Manhattan district attorney campaigned on a promise to prosecute the former president.
âWe found none. This is unsurprising. The District Attorneyâs office is a separate entity from the Department. The Department does not supervise the work of the District Attorneyâs office, does not approve its charging decisions, and does not try its cases,â the DOJ said in a letter to House Republicans. âThe Department has no control over the District Attorney, just as the District Attorney has no control over the Department. The Committee knows this.â
Aside from Manhattan, former President Trump has been charged in Washington, Florida, and Fulton County, Georgia, in relation to a range of alleged crimes. The former president has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
The Epoch Times contacted the Manhattan district attorneyâs office for comment Tuesday.
Jackson Richman contributed to this report.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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