House of Republicans upset with Donald Trump’s indictment are escalating their war on the prosecutor who charged him, attempting to embarrass Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg on his home turf partly by falsely portraying New York City as a place overrun by crime.
House of Republicans Escalates Trump’s Defense Over Manhattan DA’s Turf By Falsely Portraying NYC Overrun By Crime (PHOTO: KTVZ)
House GOP Escalates Trump Defense
Ohio Republican Jim Jordan lead the House Judiciary Committee, held a field hearing Monday close to Bragg’s offices to discuss the Democrat’s “pro-crime, anti-victim” policies. Jordan said that New York City has lost its strength when it comes to fighting crime and upholding the law.
House Republicans are aiming to make the case that Bragg is concentrating more on Trump’s indictment instead of addressing crime in New York City, a claim Bragg vehemently refuses.
Democrats rappelled on arguing that Republicans are acting as an attachment of Trump’s defense team and expressing they should concentrate instead on public safety issues like the proliferation of guns and other violence. A spokesperson for the Manhattan DA’s office expressed in a statement along the hearing that the event is a “political stunt” aimed at fueling conservative range against Bragg.
The hearing, billed as focusing on crime in New York, comes as the legal drama between Manhattan DA Bragg and House Republicans has intensified in recent days. Bragg sued House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and sought to block him from taking certain investigative steps, climbing that Congress doesn’t have oversight control over state-level criminal prosecutions.
It only shows how Trump continues to wield enormous power on Capitol Hill as House Republicans seek to gain favor with the former president, coming to his defense through their investigations and routinely updating him and his closest advisers on their progress. Following Trump’s indictment called up members of House GOP leadership and key committee members to bolster support on Capitol Hill, a person with knowledge of the matter told CNN.
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan Calling Manhattan DA Bragg For Being “Soft On Crime”
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan remarks on Manhattan DA Bragg that “Here in Manhattan, the scales of justice are weighed down by politics. For the District Attorney, justice isn’t visionless. It’s about looking for possibilities to advance a political agenda, a radical political agenda rather than implementing the law.”
Committee Democrats will also try to divert the conversation to gun violence, the source added, and argue that Republicans have refused to work on gun legislation even though mass shootings persist to ravage the country. Mayor of New York City Eric Adams, Jerry Nadler New York Rep. the top Democrat on the House Judiciary panel, and advocates of gun safety held a news conference before the hearing.
Monday’s event marks the first time that Democrats on the committee have joined a field hearing in this session of Congress.
A standard practice, but one that underscores each party’s desire to bring in additional voices to help articulate their respective message, both sides also campaigned to get additional members added to the hearing. GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik joined Judiciary Republicans to their side at the dais House, which represents a district in upstate New York.
The New York Republican is among the GOP lawmakers in contact with Trump since he was indicted, according to several sources familiar with the issue.
Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat both New York Democratic Representatives will also attend the field hearing on Monday. The team argued in a joint statement, that through this hearing Republicans are attempting to “interfere in an ongoing criminal investigation through this session.”
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