Manhattan's First Black District Attorney Moves Forward In Litigation Against Trump

Alvin Bragg, a Manhattan District Attorney, on Friday, agreed that he would allow a former prosecutor from his office to give testimony in a House GOP inquiry in the DA’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump, according to NBC News.

A joint motion was filed by Bragg and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, which paves the way for Mark Pomerantz to participate in a deposition next month.

The House panel said in a statement that the deposition was slated for May 12 following Bragg’s office withdrawing its appeal.

Last week, Bragg sought to block elements of the House Judiciary Committee’s Inquiry. Bragg alleged in the lawsuit that the GOP-led panel, as well as Jordan, were attempting to interfere with his prosecution of Trump, saying it was an “'unprecedently brazen and unconstitutional attack’ on an investigation."

Bragg appealed and blocked the lower court’s ruling after the court ruled on Wednesday that Pomerzntz must testify in front of the Judiciary Committee in accordance with a subpoena issued from the panel.

“…Its effort to temporarily block the subpoena had afforded us the time necessary to coordinate with the House Judiciary Committee on an agreement that protects the district attorney’s privileges and interests,” the spokesperson said to NBC News. “We are pleased with this resolution, which ensures any questioning of our former employee will take place in the presence of our general counsel on a reasonable, agreed upon timeframe.”

Bragg’s office is making efforts towards prosecuting Trump over his role in “hush money payments” that were made near the end of his 2016 presidential campaign. This month, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Who is Bragg?

Bragg, an African American district attorney, took the 37th Manhattan DA post a little over a year ago.

A Harlem native and a Democrat, he once served as a state and federal prosecutor, while also becoming the first Black person to serve as the Manhattan DA.

Serving more than two decades working with the criminal justice system, he focuses on issues such as recidivism, gun violence and police misconduct.

And this is not the first time regarding his litigation against Trump. At the beginning of his term, he faced controversy when he chose not to move forward on a long case pertaining to the former president’s alleged lies to banks and tax authorities. He said the case wasn’t ready.

Bragg has been brave about this newest Trump situation despite encountering death threats amid the Trump case, according to the Daily News.

He has been inundated with typo-laden emails that contain overtly racist and anti-Semitic insults, essentially threatening the DA’s life.

"Hay George Soros a** hole puppet If you want President Trump come and get me to,” read one email. “Remember we are everywhere and we have guns.”