(IntegrityTimes.com) – The Republican-led House of Representatives has spoken out against the criminal prosecution of former President Trump in New York.
Democrats countered, saying that Republican legislators were spreading false information to shield Trump from indictments and thwart investigations.
The House Judiciary Committee convened a hearing to investigate the actions of Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan DA, in prosecuting the ex-president. The hearing mostly turned into a platform where each party reiterated their oft-said talking points.
According to Trey Trainor, a commissioner appointed to the Federal Election Commission by Trump, the Justice Department ought to have stepped in to prevent a state prosecutor from applying federal election rules. He added that the Department of Justice had already looked into Trump’s purported hush money payments to adult film stars before the 2016 election, but no charges were made.
Matt Gaetz took his turn at the mic and turned the hearing on its head. Oddly, Gaetz demanded that DA Alvin Bragg and Assistant DA Matthew Colangelo be subpoenaed to appear before the House.
Chairman Jim Jordan reminded Gaetz that the New York authorities had confirmed their participation and that the committee may issue subpoenas if they didn’t show up. Jordan then took a little break and huddled with their team to address Mr. Gaetz’s strange motion.
After consulting with the chair and Democrats, Mr. Gaetz decided to rescind the motion.
A constitutional lawyer, Elizabeth Price Foley, made more sense, testifying that Trump had been denied due process throughout the trial, adding that nobody seemed to have a good grasp on what the primary offense was that the ex-president was facing charges for, including the jury.
When other offenses were dovetailed into the “falsifying business records” crime (which is a misdemeanor), suddenly, the DA elevated the accusations to felony status. Trump was ultimately charged with trying to hide breaches of state election law after prosecutors considered other possible underlying offenses.
To illustrate the intricacy of Mr. Bragg’s case against Mr. Trump and the burden of proof on the jury to determine whether the ex-president had committed a second violation by manipulating company records, Foley used Russian nesting dolls. The jury did not need to agree on the precise methods used; rather, they were to find out what “unlawful means” Mr. Trump used to commit the secondary felony.
According to CNN legal analyst and ex-ambassador to the Czech Republic, Norm Eisen, after listening to Foley, other witnesses, and the Republicans’ gripes, he concluded, predictably, that the jury did the right thing.
The committee has set July 12 for Bragg and Colangelo’s testimony. This happens to be the day after Trump’s sentencing in Bragg’s case.
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