In light of the prospect that former President Donald Trump would be charged with taking hush money days before the 2016 election, House Republicans are asking for testimony from the Manhattan district attorney and staff employees.
Republican insiders told POLITICO that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is paying heed to members of his caucus who want District Attorney Alvin Bragg hauled in for sworn testimony on his impending decision to charge the former president. McCarthy is “very supportive and encouraging folks to be aggressive here,” according to the source.
According to Fox News, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) demanded Bragg’s testimony this morning in a letter. Jordan stated that Bragg’s inquiry into Trump “would destroy trust in the impartial application of justice and irreversibly intervene in the court of the 2024 presidential election.”
“Given the gravity of your acts, we expect you to testify about what looks to be a politically driven prosecutorial decision,” Jordan wrote.
Jim Jordan waging ‘purely political attack’: Demands Bragg testify before Congress over expected Trump indictment https://t.co/hON1clzX3Z
— Raw Story (@RawStory) March 20, 2023
Republicans have highlighted disparities in Bragg’s treatment of a prospective Trump prosecution vs his handling of other matters since entering office last year. While the case against President Trump has been upgraded from a misdemeanor to a felony, 52% of all criminal charges have been reduced to misdemeanors within his jurisdiction.
According to legal experts, any case against Trump, which would be the first criminal prosecution of a US President, is unlikely to succeed. The prosecution’s case will be built on a novel set of charges that mix corporate transactions with campaign finance law. Given the high-profile nature of the case, a court is likely to give a fresh argument careful consideration.
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s former legal advisor, Robert Costello, will testify before a grand jury today as part of the president’s team’s effort to disprove Cohen’s testimony against him.