Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg agreed Friday to allow a former prosecutor in his office to provide testimony in a House GOP investigation into the prosecutor’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
Bragg and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, filed a joint motion Friday that clears the way for Mark Pomerantz to testify next month.
A spokesman for the House panel said in a statement that the deposition was scheduled for May 12 after Bragg’s office withdrew its appeal.
Bragg last week tried to block elements of the House Judiciary Committee’s investigation. In his lawsuit, Bragg alleged that the GOP-led panel and Jordan were trying to interfere with his prosecution of Trump, calling it an «unprecedented brazen and unconstitutional attack» on an investigation.
After a district court ruled Wednesday that Pomerantz must testify before the Judiciary Committee pursuant to a panel subpoena, Bragg appealed, temporarily blocking the lower court’s ruling.
A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office said Friday that their effort to temporarily block the subpoena «has given us time to coordinate with the House Judiciary Committee on an agreement that protects the privileges and interests of the district attorney.» «.
«We are satisfied with this resolution, which guarantees that any interrogation of our former employee will take place in the presence of our general counsel within a reasonable and agreed time frame,» the spokesperson added.
A Jordan spokesperson responded by telling NBC News: “I would have gotten a lawyer anyway. Full turning area.
Bragg’s office is prosecuting Trump for his role in the hush money payments made toward the end of his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump pleaded not guilty this month to 34 felony falsifying business records.
Jordan said this month that Pomerantz’s previous role in the district attorney’s office leading the investigation into Trump’s finances puts him in a «unique position to provide information that is relevant and necessary» to his committee’s investigation into Bragg’s impeachment of Trump. Jordan also argued that Pomerantz previously shared information on the matter in a book and in media interviews.
lisa rubin and julie tsirkin contributed.