Manhattan district attorney Alvin L. Bragg, who successfully prosecuted former President Donald J. Trump on 34 felony counts, is set to testify before Congress next month, shortly after Mr. Trump’s sentencing.
House Republicans, staunch supporters of Mr. Trump, are expected to grill Mr. Bragg during the hearing. They have been pushing the false narrative that President Biden influenced the prosecution of Mr. Trump for falsifying business records to conceal a possible sex scandal. Representative Jim Jordan, a close ally of Mr. Trump, and the leader of the House Judiciary Committee, has summoned Mr. Bragg to address the GOP’s allegations.
In response to the accusations, Mr. Bragg’s office released a statement condemning the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories following Mr. Trump’s conviction. Despite this, Mr. Bragg has agreed to appear voluntarily before the subcommittee.
Mr. Bragg had initially indicated that his testimony would be postponed until after Mr. Trump’s sentencing.
House Republicans have pledged to use all available congressional tools to defend their party leader, including conducting hearings, cutting funding to prosecutors’ offices, and passing legislation in support of Mr. Trump.
Apart from questioning Mr. Bragg, Mr. Jordan’s subcommittee, which is investigating the alleged “weaponization of government,” will also hear from prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, a key figure in the case against Mr. Trump.
Republicans have painted Mr. Colangelo as a political operative who left the Justice Department to target Mr. Trump in a state-level prosecution, insinuating improper coordination among anti-Trump entities within different levels of government.
However, the Justice Department refuted these claims, stating in a letter to Mr. Jordan that there was no evidence of coordination related to the prosecution. The agency dismissed the allegations as conspiracy theories.
Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte emphasized the department’s commitment to transparency and debunked the false claims made by Republicans.
A New York jury convicted Mr. Trump for falsifying business records in an attempt to cover up a scandal involving a hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn actress, during his 2016 campaign. Mr. Trump, facing potential prison time, is scheduled for sentencing on July 11, with Mr. Bragg and Mr. Colangelo slated to testify before Congress on July 12.
This conviction marks Mr. Trump as the first U.S. president to be classified as a felon. He also faces legal challenges in Washington, Georgia, and Florida related to his actions surrounding the 2020 election and mishandling of classified information.
