Feud between House GOP and Manhattan DA prosecuting Trump escalates, with plans for crime hearing in New York City

The exchange is the latest back-and-forth between Jordan and Bragg amid the historic indictment of Donald Trump.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan is bringing his fight against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to Bragg's backyard.

The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Jordan, will hold a field hearing on April 17 in New York City to discuss "victims of violent crime in Manhattan." There, lawmakers will examine what the committee called Bragg's "pro-crime policies" that have led to a "dangerous community" for residents, according to a press release issued on Monday night.

MORE: Republicans demand Manhattan DA Bragg turn over docs related to Trump investigation, potential indictment

A spokesperson for Bragg's office quickly shot back: "Don't be fooled, the House GOP is coming to the safest big city in America for a political stunt. This hearing won't engage actual efforts to increase public safety, such as supporting national gun legislation and shutting down the iron pipeline."

The spokesperson also said New York City had a murder rate "nearly three times lower" than that of Columbus, Ohio -- Jordan's home turf.

That data appeared to be pulled from Wirepoints, an Illinois- based nonprofit, which found New York City had 5.2 homicides per 100,000 people compared with Columbus' 15.4 homicides per 100,000 residents using publicly available homicide data for 2022.

Violent crime decreased during the first three months of this year, with shootings falling by 23% and homicides falling by 12.7% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, the New York Police Department recently announced.

"If Chairman Jordan truly cared about public safety, he could take a short drive to Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Akron, or Toledo in his home state, instead of using taxpayer dollars to Travel hundreds of miles out of his way," the spokesperson for Bragg said.

The exchange is the latest back-and-forth between Jordan and Bragg amid the historic indictment of the former president.

PHOTO: Rep. Jim Jordan, left, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg are seen in this split photo
Rep. Jim Jordan, left, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg are seen in this split photo
Left: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster; Right: Kena Betancur/Getty Images

Trump, who has repeatedly denied the charges against him, was arraigned last week and pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying Business records in the first degree in an alleged hush money "scheme" to influence the 2016 election.

Jordan, one of Trump's biggest supporters on Capitol Hill, has led the charge against Bragg along with other GOP chairs of influential House committees. The chairmen last month demanded documents related to Bragg's investigation of Trump and testimony from the district attorney himself.

MORE: 'Outrageous': Jordan, Republicans come to Trump's defense after indictment

Last week, Jordan subpoenaed Mark Pomerantz to give deposition related to his role in investigating Trump and Trump's Businesses. Pomerantz is a former prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney's office who resigned last year over Bragg's reluctance at the time to pursue the case against Trump.

The Manhattan district attorney is now accusing House Republicans of inappropriately interfering with a local prosecution.

"You and many of your colleagues have chosen to collaborate with Mr. Trump's efforts to vilify and denigrate the integrity of elected state prosecutors and trial judges," Leslie Dubeck, an attorney for Bragg, said in a letter to Reps. Jordan, Bryan Steil and James Comer.

"What neither Mr. Trump nor Congress may do is interfere with the ordinary course of proceedings in New York State," Dubeck wrote.

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