On Tuesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) addressed accusations from House Judiciary Republicans, who claimed the DOJ had collaborated with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in prosecuting former President Donald Trump.
A letter sent to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said that the DOJ “conducted a comprehensive search for email communications since January 20, 2021, through the date of the verdict, between any officials in Department leadership, including all political appointees in those offices, and the District Attorney’s office regarding any investigation or prosecution of the former President.”
“We found none. This is unsurprising. The District Attorney’s office is a separate entity from the Department. The Department does not supervise the work of the District Attorney’s office, does not approve its charging decisions, and does not try its cases,” the letter added.
“The Department has no control over the District Attorney, just as the District Attorney has no control over the Department. The Committee knows this.”
The department stated that it believed Mr. Jordan and the Republicans on the committee were behaving “irresponsibly” by alleging that the DOJ had colluded with District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. “Our extensive efforts to address your claims should lay this matter to rest,” the department added.
A Manhattan jury found former President Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to allegedly suppress damaging stories during the 2016 election. The former president denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this year, Mr. Jordan sent letters to the DOJ requesting documents and communications between the department and District Attorney Bragg’s office. He highlighted that a former Justice Department official, who played a key role in the Trump prosecution, was hired by the district attorney months before the former president was indicted.
In an April letter, Mr. Jordan asserted that there is a “perception that the Justice Department is assisting in Bragg’s prosecution” of the former president and requested information and documents related to the former DOJ official’s employment. He also sent a similar letter to the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James around the same time.
Following the conviction, the chairman demanded that Mr. Bragg appear for an interview before the House Judiciary panel. Late last week, the district attorney responded through his general counsel, confirming his willingness to cooperate with Mr. Jordan but requested more details on the investigation’s scope, noting that the case had not yet reached the sentencing phase.
“This Office is committed to voluntary cooperation,” general counsel Leslie Dubeck wrote in a letter, issued on June 7.
“That cooperation includes making the District Attorney available to provide testimony on behalf of the Office at an agreed-upon date, and evaluating the propriety of allowing an Assistant District Attorney to testify publicly about an active prosecution to which he is assigned.”
However, she added that the “proposed date that the Subcommittee selected without consulting the Office presents various scheduling conflicts.”
“As with the prior inquiries from this Committee, we look forward to discussing with committee staff how the Office may be able to accommodate the Committee’s invitation, while also protecting the integrity of an ongoing criminal prosecution and New York’s sovereign interests,” Ms. Dubeck said.
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