{"id":2323921,"date":"2024-08-13T15:43:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T19:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alvin-braggs-office-faces-lawsuit-over-records-related-to-trump-prosecution-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-13T15:48:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T19:48:00","slug":"alvin-braggs-office-faces-lawsuit-over-records-related-to-trump-prosecution-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alvin-braggs-office-faces-lawsuit-over-records-related-to-trump-prosecution-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Alvin Bragg\u2019s office faces lawsuit over records related to Trump prosecution &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Falvin-braggs-office-faces-lawsuit-over-records-related-to-trump-prosecution-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2323921&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A lawsuit has been\u2063 filed against \u2064Manhattan District\u200d Attorney Alvin \u2064Bragg by the \u200dconservative group America First Legal\u2064 (AFL),\u2064 alleging that\u2063 Bragg&#8217;s office illegally withheld\u2064 records pertinent\u2062 to the felony hush money case involving\u200b former President \u2064Donald Trump. The suit arises from Bragg&#8217;s repeated denials of AFL&#8217;s Freedom of Information Law requests, \u200bwhich aimed to obtain communications between his office, \u200dthe Biden administration, and others related to \u200dwhat AFL \u2063describes as a \u201cpartisan persecution\u201d of Trump.<\/p>\n<p>AFL Vice President Daniel Epstein expressed \u2063concerns that any hidden\u200c communications could impact nonpartisan prosecutorial conduct. The investigation\u2063 by AFL \u2063began in \u2063March \u200c2023 and focused on both internal and \u2064external interactions within the\u200c district attorney&#8217;s office regarding Trump. The\u2064 requests included records of\u200d communications with \u200cnotable \u200dfigures, such \u2064as Lanny Davis, a Democratic consultant who claimed responsibility for prompting the investigation into \u200dTrump.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, former \u2063Manhattan District \u2064Attorney Cyrus \u2063Vance had chosen\u2062 not to\u200b indict Trump after a \u2062thorough investigation. However, after Bragg took office in 2022, the case was revived,\u2064 leading to Trump \u2062being \u200dfound guilty of 34 felony charges\u2064 for falsifying business records\u2063 to \u2062hide a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.\u2064 Trump is scheduled\u2064 to be sentenced on September 18. The lawsuit \u200balso seeks information regarding communications with a non-profit law \u200dfirm connected to the \u2064Trump investigation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Alvin Bragg&rsquo;s office faces lawsuit over records related to Trump prosecution<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1728972\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A lawsuit was filed Tuesday against Manhattan District Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/alvin-bragg\/\">Alvin Bragg<\/a>&lsquo;s office, alleging the elected Democrat illegally withheld records related to the felony hush money case against former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint, filed by the conservative group America First Legal, was prompted by Bragg&rsquo;s repeated denials of AFL&rsquo;s Freedom of Information Law requests, which sought communications between Bragg&rsquo;s office, the Biden administration, and other parties potentially involved in what AFL described as the &ldquo;partisan persecution&rdquo; of Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alvin Bragg and Donald Trump. | AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;There should be nothing to hide,&rdquo; AFL Vice President Daniel Epstein said in a statement. &ldquo;If improper ex parte communications influenced what is supposed to be nonpartisan prosecutorial conduct, all Americans are at risk.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>AFL began its investigation in March 2023, focusing on internal and external communications within the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/van-orden-accuses-rnc-protester-of-assault-in-political-violence-incident-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Van Orden accuses RNC protester of assault in political violence incident - Washington Examiner\">district attorney&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s office concerning Trump. The group&rsquo;s requests also sought records of interactions with high-profile figures such as Lanny Davis, a Democratic consultant and attorney for ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who claimed credit for sparking the district attorney&rsquo;s investigation into Trump during an interview with <em>Politico <\/em>in March of last year.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, Davis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2023\/03\/24\/cohens-lawyer-dishes-on-the-n-y-trump-investigation-00088701\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> he told former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance that &ldquo;the evidence of financial fraud was on the record in the [congressional] hearings and that Vance&rsquo;s office should interview Michael.&rdquo; He also said &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be disappointed&rdquo; if Bragg did not indict Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Vance previously declined to pursue an indictment following a deep investigation into the Trump hush money case after his team was asked by the Southern District of New York to stand down.<\/p>\n<p>But when the case was revived the year after Bragg assumed office in 2022, Cohen became the district attorney&rsquo;s star witness during the six-week trial against Trump, which concluded after a jury found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-rejects-trump-bid-to-shield-financial-records\/\" title=\"Supreme Court Rejects Trump Bid To Shield Financial Records\">hush money payment<\/a> to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of Trump&rsquo;s 2016 presidential campaign. Trump is set to be sentenced on Sept. 18, while Judge Juan Merchan decides whether the Supreme Court&rsquo;s presidential immunity decision affects the case.<\/p>\n<p>The open records requests also sought information related to potential communications between Bragg&rsquo;s office and the Free and Fair Litigation Group, which was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/legalindustry\/new-non-profit-law-firm-targets-us-authoritarian-threat-2023-01-11\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>founded<\/a> by Mark Pomerantz and Carey Dunne, who both investigated Trump&rsquo;s finances when they worked in the Manhattan District Attorney&rsquo;s Office.<\/p>\n<p>In the lawsuit, AFL argues that Bragg&rsquo;s office has acted arbitrarily and unlawfully by not fulfilling its obligations under New York&rsquo;s open records law. The organization contends that the office has improperly invoked exemptions, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-grand-jury-seated-for-next-stage-of-trump-investigation\/\" title=\"New Grand Jury Seated for Next Stage of Trump Investigation\">grand jury secrecy<\/a> and attorney work product protections, to avoid disclosing information that is of significant public interest, especially in light of the high-profile nature of Trump&rsquo;s case.<\/p>\n<p>AFL, a group run by former Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller, asserts that Bragg&rsquo;s office has only released a single-page document citing various exemptions and claiming that the requests were overly broad or burdensome.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The legal action seeks to compel Bragg&rsquo;s office to release the requested records, or at least those portions that are not legitimately exempt from disclosure. AFL also requests that the court order Bragg&rsquo;s office to conduct a more thorough search for the documents and to justify any withholdings in detail.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>contacted Bragg&rsquo;s office for response.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1728972\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1728972\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lawsuit was filed on Tuesday against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg&#8217;s office, claiming that the Democrat improperly withheld records connected to the felony hush money case involving former President Donald Trump. The conservative organization America First Legal initiated the complaint after Bragg&#8217;s office repeatedly denied their Freedom of Information Law requests, which sought communications between Bragg\u2019s office, the Biden administration, and other parties potentially involved in what AFL termed Trump&#8217;s &#8220;partisan persecution.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>AFL Vice President Daniel Epstein stated, &#8220;There should be nothing to hide,&#8221; emphasizing that if improper communications influenced what should be impartial prosecutorial actions, it poses a risk to all Americans. The investigation by AFL began in March 2023 and focused on both internal and external communications within the district attorney\u2019s office regarding Trump. Their requests also included records of interactions with notable figures like Lanny Davis, a Democratic consultant who represented ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. Davis had previously claimed credit for initiating the investigation into Trump during an interview last year.<\/p>\n<p>Cohen later became a key witness in the trial against Trump, which resulted in a jury finding him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made during Trump&#8217;s 2016 presidential campaign. Trump is scheduled for sentencing on September 18 while Judge Juan Merchan considers whether Supreme Court decisions regarding presidential immunity impact this case.<\/p>\n<p>The open records requests also aimed at uncovering potential communications between Bragg\u2019s office and the Free and Fair Litigation Group\u2014founded by Mark Pomerantz and Carey Dunne\u2014who investigated Trump&#8217;s finances while working at the Manhattan District Attorney&#8217;s Office. In its lawsuit, AFL argues that Bragg&#8217;s office has acted unlawfully by failing to meet its obligations under New York\u2019s open records law. They contend that exemptions like grand jury secrecy have been improperly used to avoid disclosing information of significant public interest due to Trump&#8217;s high-profile case.<\/p>\n<p>AFL claims that only one single-page document has been released by Bragg&#8217;s office citing various exemptions while asserting that their requests were overly broad or burdensome. The legal action seeks to compel Bragg\u2019s office to release requested documents or at least those not legitimately exempt from disclosure and asks for a more thorough search for these documents along with detailed justifications for any withheld information. The Washington Examiner reached out for comments from Bragg&#8217;s office regarding this matter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2323922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Alvin-Bragg.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[32117,4585,37708,38045,32076],"class_list":["post-2323921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-alvin-bragg","tag-lawsuit","tag-public-records","tag-trump-prosecution","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Alvin-Bragg.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2323921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2323922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2323921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2323921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2323921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}