Donald Trump Furies Alvin Bragg as Impeachment Looms

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Donald Trump has criticized the district attorney who invited him to testify before a New York grand jury over his alleged involvement in hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign, which describes Alvin Bragg as a “racist” who “only cares about ‘getting Laughs.'”

The former president’s lawyer confirmed to the Associated Press on Thursday that a subpoena was extended by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office regarding payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels by Trump’s then-lawyer. Such a request often indicates a decision on possible charges.

If the charges are filed, it would make Trump the first indictment of a former president, and could damage his hopes of regaining the presidency in the 2024 race, where he remains the only big name to declare his candidacy among the Republican primary right now.

Joseph Tacopina, a Trump attorney, confirmed that the Manhattan district attorney has offered his client an invitation to testify next week.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference on January 13, 2023 in New York City (L) and (R) former US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before his speech at annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on March 4, 2023 in National Harbor, Maryland. Michael M. Santiago/Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

“To me, this is much ado about nothing,” Tacopina told the Associated Press, noting that he felt there was no legal basis for the case. “This is just another example of them arming the justice system against him. And it’s sort of unfair,” he added.

On Thursday night, Trump took to his Truth Social media platform to repost claims he made five days ago, in which he said Bragg was “relying on the testimony of a convicted felon, a disbarred attorney, that has no credibility”—a reference to Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer who admitted to the payment and previously implicated Trump.

He called Bragg, the first Black Manhattan DA in the office’s history, a “racist” and accused him of not caring about what he said was a record level of “violent and vicious crimes being done in Manhattan”. “He’s just worried about ‘getting Trump’,” he said.

Earlier in the evening, Trump issued a statement in which he said he had “done nothing wrong” and denied claims he had an affair with Daniels, who was paid $130,000 by Cohen. He described it as a “fake case.” Trump has repeatedly denied ordering payments to Daniels.

“It’s a political Witch-Hunt, trying to take down the leading candidate, by far, in the Republican Party while at the same time also leading all the Democrats in the polls, including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” he said.

Trump described Bragg as “this radical left prosecutor backed by Soros” who was “put” in the office of the “Department of Injustice” to “get Trump.”

Bragg, a Democrat, is a former assistant attorney general for New York and an assistant US attorney for the Southern District of New York. According to the National Police Association, billionaire philanthropist George Soros supported him in his race for the DA job.

Newsweek reached out to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, via direct message to the director of communications, and the US Department of Justice, via email, for comment.

Trump’s lawyer has not said whether he will accept the invitation to testify before the Grand Jury, but his public statements suggest such a move is unlikely.

The former president noted that the former Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, did not file charges in the case, saying it was because “I’m not guilty except for the fact that I’m beating all the Republicans and Democrats in the race of the President.”

Legal experts told The New York Times, which first published news of the invitation to testify, that Bragg was pursuing a potential violation of state election law, while his predecessor dismissed the possibility because the payment occurred during a federal election.

“I will not be stopped, I will continue to be your voice, and I will continue to fight for our great Nation,” Trump said.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was allegedly paid by Cohen in 2016 to remain silent about her supposed involvement with Trump as the presidential campaign continued. Cohen said under oath and in print that he was paid by Trump.

In 2018, Daniels’ defamation lawsuit against Trump was dismissed and led to him paying her $300,000 in legal fees.

At least five witnesses testified before a Grand Jury for Bragg in January: Jeffrey McConney and Deborah Tarasoff, employees of the Trump company; David Pecker and Dylan Howard, two former National Enquirer executives who helped orchestrate the alleged deal; and Keith Davidson, a former attorney for Daniels.

Trump remains the favorite for the 2024 GOP nomination, winning a recent straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). However, a poll conducted for Republican strategists in February suggested he would lose to likely candidate Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida.

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