Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and House Republicans reached a compromise on Friday, permitting the Judiciary Committee to question former Manhattan prosecutor Mark Pomerantz regarding the case against ex-President Trump. This development comes after a federal court decision to block the deposition on Thursday.
According to the agreement, the committee will be able to question Pomerantz, who authored a revealing book about Bragg's investigation into Trump, under oath at a later date than initially planned. A lawyer from Bragg's office will accompany Pomerantz during the deposition, a concession the committee was willing to make even without the deal.
This arrangement resolves the legal dispute between Bragg and the committee, which had escalated to a federal appeals court following Trump's unprecedented indictment.
Bragg's office asserts that the deal safeguards the district attorney's "privileges and interests" in the ongoing prosecution. In a statement, Bragg's office said, "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."
The House Judiciary Committee, led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), subpoenaed Pomerantz in March to examine whether federal funds were utilized in the investigation into Trump by Bragg's office.
Shortly after Pomerantz left the office and published his explosive book, Bragg indicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The book also disclosed details about another inquiry into the former president that did not result in charges.
Following Trump's indictment, the committee argued that it had the right to investigate if ex-presidents were being subjected to "politically motivated state investigations and prosecutions."
Bragg strongly opposed the committee's efforts to question former assistant district attorney Pomerantz, claiming it constituted an inappropriate intrusion by Congress into a local criminal investigation.
Last week, Bragg sued Jordan and the committee to block the subpoena, but a judge dismissed the suit, stating, "No one is above the law."
As part of his agreement with the committee, Bragg withdrew his appeal, which had been temporarily suspended on Thursday.
Pomerantz is slated to testify on May 12.