House Republicans are considering a subpoena of New York Attorney General Letitia James as their response to ex-President Donald Trump‘s legal troubles escalates.
Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records by a jury in New York City late last month. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who launched the criminal case, agreed on Tuesday to testify before the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee alongside his prosecutor, Matthew Colangelo.
The former president was also found liable earlier this year for committing business fraud in a civil suit launched by James, leaving him on the hook for a massive judgment of $355 million plus interest. Trump has appealed the verdict and maintains his innocence in all legal matters.
The House Judiciary GOP celebrated that it had “secured public testimony from Bragg and Colangelo” and floated the idea of subpoenaing James and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
“We’ve secured public testimony from Bragg and Colangelo,” the House Judiciary GOP account wrote. “Hearing this Thursday to examine the flaws of the [New York criminal] case … More hearings in late June/early July … Weighing subpoenas of Letitia James and Garland if they don’t cooperate voluntarily.”
Trump and other Republicans have suggested that Garland and the Department of Justice (DOJ), and ultimately President Joe Biden, are somehow responsible for the former president’s legal woes in New York, despite the federal government having no jurisdiction over state matters.
Newsweek reached out for comment to the office of James via email on Wednesday night.
Bragg has promised to shut down what his office said were Republican “conspiracy theories” regarding the prosecution of Trump during the planned testimony on July 12, which is one day after the former president is scheduled to be sentenced in New York.
“The Manhattan D.A.’s Office is proud to play a crucial role in upholding and enforcing the rule of law for the people of New York,” a Bragg spokesperson told Newsweek on Tuesday. “It undermines the rule of law to spread dangerous misinformation, baseless claims, and conspiracy theories following the jury’s return of a full-count felony conviction in People v. Trump.”
Republican Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan initially asked Bragg to testify this week but postponed the appearance due to “scheduling conflicts.” The committee plans to instead “examine Alvin Bragg’s political prosecution of President Trump” and explore other actions against Trump that it claims are politically motivated in a hearing on Thursday.
In a letter sent to the Judiciary Committee on Monday, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte rebuked suggestions that the DOJ was responsible for Trump spending a significant amount of time in New York courtrooms this year, calling the claims “conspiratorial speculation.”
“The Department does not generally make extensive efforts to rebut conspiratorial speculation, including to avoid the risk of lending it credibility,” Uriarte wrote. “However, consistent with the Attorney General’s commitment to transparency, the Department has taken extraordinary steps to confirm what was already clear: there is no basis for these false claims.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
The post House Republicans Float Potential Letitia James Subpoena appeared first on Newsweek.
