Democrats plan to join GOP hearing on crime and violence in New York
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Democrats plan to join GOP hearing on crime and violence in New York
Cami Mondeaux April 11, 10:00 AM April 11, 10:02 AMDemocrats on the House Judiciary Committee will join their Republican counterparts as they host a field hearing on crime and violence in New York City next week in an effort to diminish the event as a political stunt.
Republicans announced the hearing last week as a way to undercut the work of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, hoping to erode his credibility as he prosecutes former President Donald Trump on a number of criminal charges. Democrats on the committee have previously skipped GOP-led field hearings as a way of protest, but several members now plan to attend and hold a counter-response, sources told Punchbowl News.
HOUSE JUDICIARY TO HOLD CRIME HEARING IN NEW YORK CITY
The hearing will be held on April 17 in the district represented by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who is the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee.
Democrats are planning to hold a separate news conference ahead of the hearing that will feature top city officials, according to the outlet. During that conference, Democrats will target GOP lawmakers on their refusal to act on gun violence, arguing that much of the city’s crime can be tied to firearms.
The Democratic lawmakers will then join Republicans during the field hearing, which will feature testimony from “victims of violent crime in Manhattan.” It’s not clear who will be asked to testify.
The field hearing is the latest retaliation from House Republicans against Bragg’s indictment of Trump after the latter was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records earlier this month. Republicans have decried the charges as being politically motivated, vowing to investigate Bragg and his office.
Republicans on the Judiciary Committee subpoenaed former New York County District Attorney Mark Pomerantz to appear before the panel and testify about his previous involvement in the Trump investigation. Pomerantz initially led the inquiry before resigning last year over Bragg’s initial reluctance to move forward with the case.
Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) accused Pomerantz of resigning as an act of protest to pressure Bragg to reopen the case. The subpoena came two weeks after Jordan initially requested that Pomerantz and former Manhattan Special Assistant District Attorney Carey Dunne testify before the Judiciary Committee, which the former attorney declined.
Jordan has also repeatedly pressed Bragg to testify and provide the committee with documents related to his investigation, all of which the district attorney has rejected as overreach.
In his indictment, Bragg accused Trump of orchestrating a “catch and kill” scheme during the 2016 presidential cycle to identify negative stories about him and pay large sums of money to bury them from public view. After making such payments, Trump is accused of hiding such conduct by making “dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.”
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In one instance, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen wired $130,000 to an attorney to be transferred to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged sexual affair. Cohen later pleaded guilty to the illegal campaign contribution charge in 2018.
At the time of Cohen’s trial, federal prosecutors did not press charges against Trump due to guidance from the Justice Department that a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime. However, prosecutors revived discussions about charges shortly before Trump left office in 2021. The federal government did not ultimately charge Trump.
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