House Judiciary Ranking Member Jerry Nadler Monday morning blasted House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan‘s partisan field trip to New York City to attack Alvin Bragg in retribution for the Manhattan District Attorney’s grand jury indictment of Donald Trump on 34 felony violations.
Chairman Jordan’s unusual hearing in Manhattan, which began Monday morning, is expected to highlight victims of crime in attempt to paint New York City as dangerous and DA Bragg as not doing his job, despite statistics that show the nation’s largest city is also one of its safest.
Jordan has no oversight authority over an elected state or county official.
“Let me be very clear,” said Nadler, a Democrat who represents New York City, as he began his opening statement (video below). “We are here today in lower Manhattan for one reason and one reason only: The chairman is doing the bidding of Donald Trump.”
“Committee Republicans designed this hearing to intimidate and deter the duly-elected District Attorney of Manhattan from doing the work his constituents elected him to do. They have demanded access to the inner workings of an ongoing criminal case, information to which they know that they are not entitled. They have subpoenaed a witness who used to work for the district attorney whom they know cannot answer their questions, and they have earned a lawsuit they risks future congressional oversight.”
Nadler said Republicans on the committee have “perpetuated the anti-semitic and racist tropes that Mr. Trump has directed at both the prosecutor and the judge in this case, they are using their public offices and the resources of this committee to protect their political patron Donald Trump. It is an outrageous abuse of power. It is to use the chairman’s favorite term, a weaponization of the House Judiciary Committee.”
Nadler also accused Jordan of using his committee “to undermine” the judicial “process as it unfolds,” calling the chairman’ actions “cynical, unethical, and given the violence unleashed on the capital by the former president, just plain dangerous.”
“Now we grieve for the victims of violent crime here in Manhattan and everywhere. But it is shameful that the Republicans of this committee would use the pretext of violent crime as an excuse to play tourists in New York and bully the district attorney and it is particularly disgraceful that they would use this pretext after doing nothing, nothing to stop the gun violence that terrorizes our nation.”
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Nadler noted there have been “at least 146 mass shootings this year alone,” more “than days so far this year.”
“Three people were shot dead and five others injured at Michigan State University. Three children and three teachers were shot and killed at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee. Five people are dead and eight others including two police officers are injured after a mass shooting at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky. These tragedies have taken place in nearly every corner of our nation.”
“Unlike our Republican colleagues, Democrats have consistently advanced policies that make all of our communities including New York, safer places to live, to work, to worship, and to go to school. Last Congress over the objection of every Republican here today, we passed the first gun violence prevention package in decades. We can and must do more. We must pass universal background checks. We must implement red flag laws to keep guns away from those who are a danger to themselves and others and we must reinstate the assault weapons ban. Each of these proposals are overwhelmingly popular with the American public and each is opposed by House Republicans.”
Before the hearing began, Manhattan Borough President Mark D. Levine noted, “Jim Jordan could have done today’s sham hearing near his home in Columbus (murder rate 3x NYC) Or Jacksonville (3.5x NYC) Or Ft. Worth (2x NYc) But he’s holding it in Manhattan. Because it’s not really about public safety. It’s about undermining the prosecution of Trump.”
Early Monday morning, CNN’s Daniel Dale published a deep dive into NYC crime statistics amid Jordan’s claims. In part, Dale writes, “Violent crime in Manhattan and New York City is far below record levels,” “Most categories of major crime in Manhattan, though not all, are down so far in 2023.” He also lists dozens of big cities where the murder rate is far higher than New York City’s.
Watch the full live or the hearing below or at this link.