House Republicans, Manhattan DA End Dispute Over Trump Case

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg agreed Friday to let Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee question an ex-prosecutor about the criminal case against former President Donald Trump, the AP reports. Under the agreement, committee members will be able to question Mark Pomerantz under oath next month in Washington. The deal resolves a lawsuit in which Bragg had sought to block Pomerantz from testifying, ending a legal dispute that escalated to a federal appeals court just weeks after Trump's historic indictment. Pomerantz will be accompanied by a lawyer from Bragg's office, an accommodation the committee said it would have allowed even without Friday's agreement.

Bragg’s office and the Judiciary Committee reached the agreement after the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay Thursday that temporarily halted enforcement of a House subpoena which had called for Pomerantz to testify. The appeals court had been scheduled to hear oral arguments in the dispute on Tuesday. Bragg had appealed to the 2nd Circuit after a lower court judge ruled Wednesday that there was no legal basis to block the Judiciary Committee’s subpoena and that Pomerantz’s deposition must go forward as scheduled. Under the agreement, Bragg withdrew his appeal.

Bragg's office said the agreement, delaying Pomerantz's testimony until May 12, preserves the district attorney's “privileges and interests” in his ongoing Trump prosecution. “Our successful stay of this subpoena blocked the immediate deposition and afforded us the time necessary to coordinate with the House Judiciary Committee on an agreement that protects the District Attorney’s privileges and interests,” Bragg’s office said in a statement. “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. We are gratified that the Second Circuit’s ruling provided us with the opportunity to successfully resolve this dispute,” Bragg’s office said. (More Alvin Bragg stories.)