By Mimi Nguyen Ly
Mark Pomerantz, a former Manhattan prosecutor who led an investigation into Trump’s finances, invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during his deposition before the House Judiciary Committee on Friday.
The GOP-led committee is conducting oversight of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “unprecedented indictment” of a former U.S. president.
Former President Donald Trump in March became the first-ever U.S. president to be criminally charged in a case brought by Bragg. Trump pleaded not guilty in April to the 34 felony counts (pdf) of falsifying business records.
As part of the House Judiciary Committee’s oversight, Pomerantz was subpoenaed to provide testimony. Bragg sued in an attempt to block the congressional subpoena, but a judge denied his request.
In Pomerantz’s opening statement on Friday, he called the GOP-led committee’s investigation “political theater.”
He said he was appearing to testify “as required” because “I respect the rule of law.”
“What I do not respect is the use of the Committee’s subpoena power to compel me to participate in an act of political theater,” he said in the statement. “This deposition is for show. I do not believe for a moment that I am here to assist a genuine effort to enact legislation or conduct legislative ‘oversight.’”
“Although the rule of law compels me to be here, it does not require that I play a substantive role in your theatrical production. Under the law, I can decline to answer your questions for several reasons.”
Subpoenaed to Testify
Pomerantz had pushed for an indictment against Trump after having led a probe into the former president’s hush money payments that took place prior to the 2016 election.
The former prosecutor left the Manhattan district attorney’s office in February 2022 because he disagreed with Bragg’s initial decision not to pursue a criminal case against Trump. Pomerantz later released a memoir about the case.
Three House GOP chairmen, including Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), mounted an investigation into Bragg’s office in March, at a time when Trump had suggested he’d be arrested soon, but before the felony charges were announced.
Pomerantz in his opening statement said he was instructed by Bragg’s office to maintain their “claims of privilege and confidentiality in order to protect the integrity of the pending prosecution and continuing investigation of Donald Trump.”
“I intend to honor the District Attorney’s request, and I will not answer questions to which the District Attorney objects,” said Pomerantz.
‘Circumstances Have Changed’
He also said he’s taking the Fifth because even though he had written and spoken about his own investigation into Trump, formal charges are now pending against Trump, which means “the circumstances have changed.”
“With formal charges now pending, the rule of law is best served if the merits of the case against Mr. Trump are litigated before the court that is hearing that case. This is neither the time nor the place for me to answer questions about the investigation or the pending indictment over the objection of the prosecutors,” he said.
“The charges against Mr. Trump should be heard and decided by a judge and a jury before politicians second-guess their merits or the decision to bring them. That’s how our system works. Those who claim that they respect the rule of law should wait for the courts to do their work,” Pomerantz added.
Possible Criminal Liability
Pomerantz also explained that Bragg’s office, shortly before the publication of Pomerantz’s book, had warned him he could face criminal liability “if, among other things, I disclosed grand jury material or violated a provision of the New York City Charter dealing with the misuse of confidential information.”
He needs to be arrested in public and put in leg shackles. Just for fun.
He just gave GOP his middle finger, which they richly deserve.
Yeah, that’s how much respect Democrats have for the Constitution.
Black owns about 30% of Ukraine now, and owns 7 of the largest countries in Russia…
Funny how they are playing “war” with Putin and Zelenskyy like they are G.I. figurines.
Seems the Ukrainian troops, dying at a rate of 10 to each Russian killed, are considered the less valuable of them.
Bakhmut is captured by Russia, and the “counter-offensive” of Ukraine is suddenly stalled because it’s too hot…after being too cold…
They just don’t have an army. Perhaps someone could send them money and equipment instead of only pretending to?
*Blackrock
This.
Democrats believing 100% what their media tells them even though they have seen them lying 100% of the time. This is because they lack the courage to face the truth about their own ideology.
Sounds like they have something they don’t want us to know about
The fifth is to avoid self incrimination… Not to. Facilitate another legal process… Unless it is a criminal enterprise…