Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg agrees to testify in Congress, but probably not before Trump is convicted

NEW YORK — Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney agreed Friday to testify before what will likely be a hostile, Republican-controlled congressional subcommittee, but probably not before former President Donald Trump is sentenced in July.

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, wrote to Bragg in late May after Trump's conviction in secret trialaccusing him of leading a “political pursuit” and requesting his testimony at a hearing on June 13.

In a response letter, Manhattan District Attorney General Counsel Leslie Dubeck said the DA's office was “engaged in voluntary cooperation.”

This cooperation, he added, includes making Bragg, a Democrat, available to testify “at an agreed upon date.” But the letter says Jordan's chosen date “presents various scheduling conflicts.”

He noted that the cases against Trump were not yet complete. Asset, who was convicted of falsifying records to conceal money paid to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential campaignis scheduled to be sentenced July 11. Before this date, prosecutors will be make recommendations to a judge about the type of punishment Trump deserves.

“The trial court and appellate courts have entered numerous orders in an effort to protect the fair administration of justice in People v. Trump, and participating in a public hearing at this stage would be potentially prejudicial to these efforts,” the letter states. .

Bragg's office requested the opportunity to discuss another date with the subcommittee and obtain more information about “the scope and purpose of the proposed hearing.”

Jordan also requested testimony from Matthew Colangelo, one of the lead prosecutors in the Trump case. Bragg's office did not rule out the possibility, but said in the letter that it would “evaluate the advisability” of allowing an assistant district attorney to testify publicly about an active prosecution.

Jordan, an Ohio Republican, has proposed withholding federal funding from any entity attempting to prosecute a former president. He also spoke out against what he described as the “militarization of the federal government.”

His committee previously successfully fought to obtain a deposition from a former prosecutor who worked on Trump's case, Mark Pomerantz, over Bragg's initial objections. This deposition, however, yielded little results, with Pomerantz refusing to answer many questions on the grounds that doing so could potentially expose him to criminal prosecution for disclosing secret grand jury testimony.