The Heritage Foundation has taken legal action against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg regarding his handling of the Trump case. In the case of President Donald Trump, who is facing charges related to classified documents, similar allegations previously raised questions about political motives and misuse of the Department of Justice (DOJ). In April, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges brought by DA Alvin Bragg concerning hush money payments.
Bragg claims that Trump lied on New York business records to hide incriminating information and illegal actions from American voters both before and after the 2016 election.
There are concerns that Bragg’s decision to pursue these charges is politically motivated, and his lack of transparency has prompted the Heritage Foundation to file two lawsuits against him in his official capacity.
On March 21, just days before a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump, Heritage Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request seeking information about any communication between Bragg’s office and the White House, DOJ, and Representative Dan Goldman (D-NY) regarding the charges. It was previously reported that Goldman, who had prosecuted the first Trump impeachment before assuming his current position, had been advising Bragg on the case.
Additionally, Goldman had campaigned for Bragg during his election as DA, and both individuals had previously served as Assistant United States Attorneys in the Southern District of New York.
The first lawsuit, filed with the Supreme Court of New York and reported by the Epoch Times, aims to ensure compliance with New York’s FOIL law. The lawsuit points out criticisms of the legal basis for Bragg’s indictment of President Trump, with some considering it to be weak and possibly frivolous. It also raises concerns about alleged coordination between Bragg and President Trump’s political opponents in the White House, DOJ, FBI, and Congress. The lawsuit highlights the history of these opponents collaborating to weaponize the criminal justice system against Trump, undermining the integrity of justice.
Heritage has alleged that Bragg’s actions resulted in investigations by multiple U.S. House committees. Despite these concerns, there have been no answers provided. The lawsuit suggests that the President’s political opponents have a history of coordinating their actions to weaponize the criminal justice system against him and obstruct justice.
According to Mike Howell, the director of Heritage’s Oversight Project, which acts as the organization’s government watchdog, they suspect that Bragg had been in contact with Trump’s political opponents and was an active user of his cellphone to do so. They also believe that he was coordinating or communicating with them frequently.
Heritage has filed another lawsuit claiming that Bragg and his team received free legal help from well-known law firms that deal with white-collar litigation. The lawsuit requests the court to consider certain documents as “available for release under the New York Freedom of Information Law” and order Bragg and his team to provide these documents and prevent them from requesting compensation for the reproduction and issuing of said documents.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Howell stated that the need to sue Bragg for failing to produce records and claiming to lack the necessary systems is indicative of an unfair justice system. Howell highlighted the discrepancy in how a private individual is being targeted for document retention while the DA cannot keep his own records, violating information laws. This shows a clear double standard at play.