New York: Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg Sued Over Donald Trump Indictment -- What Happened?

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is currently facing two lawsuits over his alleged failure to comply with state Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, according to Fox News.

These requests seek information regarding potential communication between his office and the Justice Department, the White House, and Democratic lawmakers concerning Bragg's prosecution of former President Donald Trump.

The charges against Trump stem from a lengthy investigation into hush money payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Bragg indicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in March. He argues that Trump falsified New York business records to hide damaging information and unlawful activities from American voters before and after the 2016 election.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, DC, has filed one of the lawsuits against Bragg.

They suspect that Bragg and his office may have coordinated or communicated with the Justice Department, the White House, and Rep. Daniel Goldman, a Democrat from New York, regarding the prosecution.

These alleged actions subsequently prompted investigations by several US House committees into Bragg's conduct, according to Heritage's lawsuit.

Alvin Bragg Lawsuit

The first lawsuit against Alvin Bragg expressed disappointment over the lack of answers to their inquiries, The Epoch Times noted.

It highlighted concerns stemming from the history of Donald Trump's political opponents allegedly coordinating their efforts to manipulate the criminal justice system against him, leading to a potential distortion of justice.

The lawsuit sought to uncover requested documents and make them accessible to the public under the New York Freedom of Information Law. They also urged the court to mandate that Bragg hand over the documents.

In a separate lawsuit, the conservative think tank based in Washington, DC, alleged that Bragg enlisted the assistance of prominent law firms on a pro-bono basis in connection to the Trump case.

They requested the court to release the requested documents to the public and demanded Bragg's compliance.

Mike Howell, the director of Heritage's Oversight Project, suspected that Bragg might have been coordinating or communicating with individuals opposing Trump.

He further suggested that there are indications of Bragg being an active communicator via his phone.

Howell emphasized that the need to file a lawsuit against Bragg, who claimed an inability to produce the records and lacked the necessary systems to do so, demonstrates a double standard of justice in the country.

While Bragg pursued the former president on what they viewed as a dubious theory regarding document retention, the fact that the DA struggles to maintain his documents is seen as a violation of the information laws he is bound by, according to Howell.

Donald Trump Lawyers Want to Move Case to Federal Court

Trump's legal team is seeking to transfer the case to a federal court or have New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan recuse himself, per NTD.

In a motion filed on Friday, the lawyers representing the former president argued that the alleged crimes related to the 2016 election and his campaign occurred while Trump was in office.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office claims that the core of their case involves an alleged illegal scheme that primarily occurred before Trump assumed the presidency, according to Trump's filing.

Trump's legal team contends that if such a scheme existed, it would only violate federal campaign finance laws, not state laws. They cite federal jurisprudence and the New York State election board to support their argument.

Justice Merchan, who has faced criticisms from Trump, has set a trial date for March 25, 2024, which falls during the 2024 GOP primary campaign. A hearing in the case has been scheduled for June 27.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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