Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) introduced two bills this week targeting Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in response to criminal charges against President Donald Trump. The legislation demonstrates a bold pushback by House Republicans to what they see as politically motivated charges against the former president.
One of the bills, the Accountability for Lawless Violence In Our Neighborhoods Act (ALVIN Act), aims to revoke federal funding from Bragg’s office and mandates that the district attorney repay any funds received since January 1, 2022. The ALVIN Act also prohibits the future allocation of federal funds to Bragg’s office. Biggs, joined by several co-sponsors, including Reps. Mary Miller (R-IL), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Ralph Norman (R-SC), and Bob Good (R-VA), has criticized Bragg for wasting federal resources on political goals rather than addressing the surge of crime in New York City.
DA Bragg's weaponized office has spent thousands of federal dollars to subsidize the political indictment of a former U.S. president and is demanding millions more in federal grants.
I won't let that continue and they will pay us back for what was used. https://t.co/x2nVxHgj91
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) April 13, 2023
The second bill introduced by Biggs, the No Federal Funds for Political Prosecutions Act, seeks to prevent state or local law enforcement agencies from using resources obtained through asset forfeiture to investigate or prosecute sitting presidents, vice presidents, or presidential candidates in criminal cases. This legislation adds another layer of protection against the perceived politicization of the criminal justice system.
Republicans introduce bill to defund Manhattan district attorney after Trump criminal charges https://t.co/P0Yz1I3G5O https://t.co/VAImh6N7qS
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) April 13, 2023
These legislative actions come just before House Republicans on the Judiciary Committee are scheduled to hold a field hearing on violent crime in New York City. This hearing aims to obtain evidence about Bragg’s work and credibility as he pursues Trump on various criminal charges.
Bragg’s indictment accuses Trump of running a “catch and kill” scheme in 2016 to identify negative stories about him and pay large amounts of money to keep them from public view. Trump allegedly concealed this activity by making “dozens of false entries in business records to cover criminal activities, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.”
Republicans have condemned these charges as politically motivated, pledging to further investigate Bragg and his office. Biggs, a member of the Judiciary Committee, remarked, “District Attorney Alvin Bragg ran on a campaign pledge to indict President Trump. Bragg took the unprecedented action of converting alleged minor business misdemeanors to 34 individual felonies in an attempt to put President Trump behind bars and humiliate him and his supporters.”
Over the past 15 years, Bragg’s office claims to have contributed more than $1 billion to the federal government through forfeited assets, with only a “small fraction” of those funds being received by the district attorney.
As the battle between House Republicans and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office continues, the GOP is making it clear they will not sit idly by as Trump is unfairly targeted for political reasons.
