DOJ: Review Finds No Communications With Manhattan DA on Trump Case

The Department of Justice in Washington on Jan. 4, 2024. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday responded to House Judiciary Republicans’ claims that it had coordinated with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in its prosecution of former President Donald Trump.

A letter sent to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said that the DOJ “conducted a comprehensive search for email communications since January 20, 2021, through the date of the verdict, between any officials in Department leadership, including all political appointees in those offices, and the District Attorney’s office regarding any investigation or prosecution of the former President.”

“We found none. This is unsurprising. The District Attorney’s office is a separate entity from the Department. The Department does not supervise the work of the District Attorney’s office, does not approve its charging decisions, and does not try its cases,” the letter added. “The Department has no control over the District Attorney, just as the District Attorney has no control over the Department. The Committee knows this.”

The department said it believed Mr. Jordan and Republicans on the committee were acting in an “irresponsible” manner by asserting that the DOJ had colluded with District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. “Our extraordinary efforts to respond to your speculation should put it to rest,” it added.

A jury in Manhattan found former President Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to payments he sent to a former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to allegedly bury stories that could harm his 2016 election chances. The former president denied the allegations that were levied against him, pleading not guilty.

Earlier this year, Mr. Jordan had sent letters to the DOJ requesting documents and communications between the department and Mr. Bragg’s office, while he noted that a former Justice Department official who helped lead the Trump prosecution was hired by the district attorney months before the former president was indicted.

In a letter in April, Mr. Jordan claimed that there is a “perception that the Justice Department is assisting in Bragg’s” prosecution of the former president and was requesting information and documents related to the former DOJ official’s employment. Around the same time, he sent a letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office with similar requests.

In the days after the conviction was handed down, the chairman also demanded that Mr. Bragg sit down for an interview in front of the House Judiciary panel. Late last week, the district attorney sent a letter through his general counsel to confirm that he would cooperate with Mr. Jordan but wanted more details on the scope of his investigation and noted that the case hasn’t made it to the sentencing phase yet.

“This Office is committed to voluntary cooperation,” general counsel Leslie Dubeck wrote in a letter, issued on June 7. “That cooperation includes making the District Attorney available to provide testimony on behalf of the Office at an agreed-upon date, and evaluating the propriety of allowing an Assistant District Attorney to testify publicly about an active prosecution to which he is assigned.”

However, she added that the “proposed date that the Subcommittee selected without consulting the Office presents various scheduling conflicts.”

“As with the prior inquiries from this Committee, we look forward to discussing with committee staff how the Office may be able to accommodate the Committee’s invitation, while also protecting the integrity of an ongoing criminal prosecution and New York’s sovereign interests,” Ms. Dubeck said.

Sentencing Date

After the verdict, Justice Juan Merchan announced that the sentencing date for the former president would be on July 11, approximately four days before the Republican National Convention. During a post-conviction news conference, Mr. Bragg declined to answer questions about whether his office would seek a prison term.

After he was convicted, former President Trump said he would appeal the verdict and also called on the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the case before his sentencing date.

Outside of Manhattan, the former president has been charged in Washington, Florida, and Fulton County, Georgia, in relation to a range of alleged crimes. The former president has also pleaded not guilty to those counts.