Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Friday agreed to allow a former prosecutor from his office provide testimony in a House GOP inquiry into the DA’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
Bragg and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, filed a joint motion Friday that paves the way for Mark Pomerantz to sit for a deposition next month.
A spokesperson 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 sought to block elements of the House Judiciary Committee’s inquiry. In his lawsuit, Bragg alleged that the GOP-led panel and Jordan were attempting to interfere with his prosecution of Trump, calling it an “unprecedently brazen and unconstitutional attack” on an investigation.
After a district court on Wednesday ruled that Pomerantz must testify before the Judiciary Committee in accordance with a subpoena from the panel, Bragg appealed, temporarily blocking the lower court’s ruling.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said Friday that 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.”
“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,” the spokesperson added.
A spokesperson for Jordan responded by telling NBC News: “He would have gotten a lawyer anyways. Total spin zone.”
Bragg’s office is prosecuting Trump over his role in hush money payments made toward the end of his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump pleaded not guilty this month to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Jordan this month said that Pomerantz’s previous role in the DA’s office leading the probe into Trump’s finances makes him “uniquely situated to provide information that is relevant and necessary” to his committee’s investigation into Bragg’s prosecution 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.
