(USNewsBreak.com) – At the end of March, former President Donald Trump was indicted on 34 counts of falsification of business records — all felonies, following a multi-year investigation into his activities. During that time, District Attorney Alvin Bragg was elected to replace Cyrus Vance, Jr. On the heels of the change, two prosecutors who were investigating Trump, Mark Pomerantz, and Carey Dunne, resigned. Before Trump’s indictment, the House Judiciary Committee, seeking information about the investigation and whether it used any federal funds to carry out what it sees as a politically-motivated witch-hunt, subpoenaed Pomerantz.
The Committee Probe
The House Judiciary Committee sought information from DA Bragg regarding his office’s ongoing investigation into Trump. Notably, the panel asked Bragg to turn over “relevant documents and testimony,” according to a letter dated March 25. The committee alleged that the DA’s office was upgrading charges normally considered misdemeanors to felonies at the same time, it was downgrading other charges in its jurisdiction.
Pomerantz had said he would not appear for testimony, which led to a court battle. Additionally, Bragg sued the committee and its chair, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), asking the courts to block the subpoena. On Wednesday, April 19, US District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil denied this motion, saying it “was issued with a valid legislative purpose” and was within the scope of Congress to “conduct investigations,” according to POLITICO. Bragg escalated the matter to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit the same day. But, it turns out, the case has been settled — for now.
The Agreement
On Friday, April 21, attorneys for Bragg, Pomerantz, and Jordan informed the appeals court they had come to an agreement. The deal would see Pomerantz moving forward with testimony. According to a brief statement on Twitter, the House Judiciary Committee plans to interview the former prosecutor on May 12.
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) April 22, 2023
Pomerantz’s testimony is reportedly required so the committee can determine two factors:
- Did politics play a part in the motivation behind the investigation?
- How much, if any, federal funding was used to carry out said probe?
The details of the agreement weren’t released to the public, and the filing didn’t give any more insight into the matter, simply stating the “appeals should be dismissed.”
While the Judiciary Committee sees this as a win and insinuates that Bragg conceded, the DA also considers it a success. POLITICO reported that the DA’s office released a statement calling it an “agreement that protects the District Attorney’s privileges and interests.”
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