Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request reveal that the prosecutor in the case of New York v. Trump spent $1 million responding to congressional oversight of the prosecution at a time New York City officials demanded across-the-board budget cuts.
Documents obtained through litigation by the Oversight Project, a transparency initiative of the Heritage Foundation, revealed that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office issued an interoffice memo in April 2023 announcing a $1 million appropriation for outside counsel.
According to the memo, the funds originated from a 2019 settlement with a financial institution accused of illegally transacting with countries subject to U.S. sanctions.
“Due to this unanticipated need, $1,000,000 will be made available for this matter from the DANY Deficit Project under the UniCredit subfund,” the memo read.
The document also mentioned an attached “engagement letter” signed with the high-powered Los Angeles-based law firm Gibson Dunn. Additionally, the packet included an approved waiver from the New York City Conflict of Interest Board, allowing a Bragg counsel to participate in the case despite a familial connection to a Gibson Dunn attorney.
Another document in the collection indicated that Bragg believed it would be in the best interest of the office to hire outside counsel to respond to congressional inquiries from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and others at the time.
According to the findings, of the five law firms that were apparently solicited, only Gibson Dunn was immediately available.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office approved the use of funds from the 2019 UniCredit settlement to retain outside counsel for a congressional inquiry into the investigation and prosecution of a confidential investigation division case.
The email then references an attached engagement letter signed by Bragg with Gibson Dunn and notes that Bragg’s office was aware of the trio of House committees investigating his case against former President Trump.
On April 4, 2023, around the time the actions indicated in the documents took place, New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a citywide directive to cut $1 billion over the next four years. At that time, and continuing today, New York faces the dual crises of rising crime, slowing economic growth, and an influx of migrants.
According to a memo obtained by the New York Post, all agencies were directed to cut 4% from their budgets. By November, these budget cuts had impacted school and library programs and somewhat reduced the staffing levels of the NYPD.
The findings of the FOIA request indicate that instead of prosecuting Trump, Bragg should “be arresting himself,” stated attorney Mike Howell, executive director of the Oversight Project, in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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