Alvin Bragg's former DA pleads the fifth in congressional testimony over Trump indictment

Click here to read the full article.

“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,” Pomerantz’s statement reads. “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.'”

“Fortunately, I do not have to cooperate with the cynical histrionics that this deposition represents,” he added. “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.”

“I think it’s very appropriate to say this is an obstructing witness who has no intention of answering any questions,” Issa told AP.

“With formal charges now pending, the rule of law is best served if the merits of the case against Mr. Trump are litigated because the court that is hearing the case,” he said. “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.”

“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,” he continued. “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.”

“While I am certain I broke no laws, I am not required to answer questions if my answers might be used against me in a criminal prosecution,” he said.

“For all these reasons, I will not be answering questions that relate to my work in the DA’s office, my book, or public statements I have made in the past,” he added. “It gives me no joy to invoke my legal rights, but I am glad that the law allows me not to cooperate with this performance of political theater.”

Rep. Issa told AP, “we respect someone’s Fifth Amendment rights, but it’s very clear that this witness came with a clear intention of obstructing us.”

Continue reading here.

Scroll down for comments and share your thoughts!