Donald Trump arrest: House Republican leaders to discuss path forward on Alvin Bragg this week

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James Comer
Rep. James Comer. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Donald Trump arrest: House Republican leaders to discuss path forward on Alvin Bragg this week

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Top House Republicans are set to talk this week about how to move forward with their investigation into Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg just one day after the New York prosecutor unveiled a slew of criminal charges against former President Donald Trump.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said he would have a call with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) sometime this week to discuss the next steps in their congressional inquiry. House Republicans opened an investigation into Bragg late last month, requesting his testimony and documents related to Trump’s indictment.

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“We are going to try to figure out a path moving forward. This is very serious,” Comer told Fox & Friends on Wednesday. “We are not going to stop on this. Nothing changed. We believe he has overstepped.”

Bragg has not been subpoenaed by any House committee, but GOP leaders say such a move is still “on the table.” The Manhattan district attorney has repeatedly refused to cooperate with Republicans’ efforts to investigate his office, accusing GOP leaders of interfering with local matters.

Jordan, Comer, and House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) initially requested compliance from Bragg on March 20. Bragg responded five days later, accusing the trio of Republicans of interfering with a local investigation in an “unprecedented” move that would “hinder, disrupt and undermine the legitimate work of our dedicated prosecutors.”

The GOP leaders replied hours later, arguing Bragg’s cooperation was necessary to “protect former and/or current presidents from politically motivated prosecutions.” The trio then set a deadline of March 31 for Bragg to comply. He did not do so.

“He’s asked what questions we have,” Jordan told Fox News on Wednesday. “So, I think he’s almost conceding the point that we should be able to talk to him. Everything is on the table. We are going to figure out how we proceed next. But we do want some answers to some key questions.”

The discussions come as Trump faces charges of 34 counts of falsifying business records, according to his criminal indictment that was unsealed on Tuesday. Trump has repeatedly denied the charges, and several Republicans have denounced the investigation as being politically motivated.

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In the court documents, Bragg accused Trump of orchestrating a “catch and kill” scheme during the 2016 presidential cycle to identify negative stories about him and pay large sums of money to bury them from public view. After making such alleged payments, Trump is accused of hiding the conduct by making “dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.”

Trump returned to his Mar-a-Lago home after his court appearance on Tuesday, and he is scheduled to reappear for his next hearing on Dec. 4. The trial is not expected to begin until January.

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