Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, criticized Jim Jordan’s mock Manhattan criminal trial as a sham to protect Trump.
Video of the press conference:
Rep. Nadler said:
Minutes later, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee convenes what they call a field hearing. A hearing can have some pitfalls—we’ll have opening statements and witnesses, and members will ask questions. But don’t be fooled. This is not a hard exercise. This is a political approach.
I was the committee chairman for four years, and I took that difficult responsibility very seriously. Real hearing and real control – I know what it’s like. This is not what we see today.
This hearing was called for one reason and one reason only: to protect Donald Trump.
Jim Jordan and his Republican allies are acting as an extension of Trump’s defense team. They are using their government offices and the resources of our committees to protect their political patron, Donald Trump. That is an abuse of power. To use Chairman Jordan’s favorite phrase – the Judiciary Committee is a tool.
The chairman said this hearing was about the victims of violence in Manhattan. Don’t forget that New York is one of the safest big cities in America. Under the leadership of Mayor Adams and Alvin Bragg last year, crime in Manhattan fell in all major categories, including homicide – down 14%. Shootings decreased by 17%; Theft decreased by 21%; and robbery, decreased by 8%.
And never mind that House Republicans have consistently voted to make New York—and every other city in this country—less safe.
Since when did my Republican colleagues care so much about the lives and safety of New Yorkers? Certainly not when they voted on billions of dollars for law enforcement in America’s bailout plan. Certainly not because they refuse to condemn Donald Trump’s calls to defund the FBI and Justice Department. Certainly not when they work to block democratic efforts to pass reasonable gun safety legislation.
We all feel sorry for the victims of violent crime—here in Manhattan and everywhere. But if Jim Jordan and his fellow Republicans really care about protecting New Yorkers, they should join forces with Democrats to tackle the steel pipe flooding our streets with illegal guns from states with strict gun laws.
Join our efforts to ban assault weapons, enact tougher gun laws, and crack down on assault rifles. But instead, they’ve only served to put more guns on the streets and put us all at greater risk.
Democrats have consistently advanced policy solutions that make all of our communities—including New York—safer places to live, work and go to school, and we’re making that clear today. But that’s not why Republicans called this hearing. This is part of their efforts to protect Donald Trump at all costs.
Alvin Bragg is a duly elected district attorney in New York County. He presented significant evidence before a grand jury that saw fit to indict Donald Trump. Donald Trump will have a chance to defend himself against the charges against him. That process now takes place in the courts, and it is not the place of Congress—Republicans or Democrats—to interfere in any judicial process.
Jim Jordan is involved in a lot of political theater in Washington, but he should know better than to take his tired act to Broadway. New Yorkers see this as a clear attempt to protect Donald Trump at all costs while ignoring the real public safety needs of our community.
Ironically, until Donald Trump was indicted, Jim Jordan didn’t care about crime in Manhattan. One of the biggest problems House Republicans face as they try to push their fraud, conspiracy theories, and Trump protection plan is that Democrats are fighting back.
Jordan thought he could come to New York and hold a propaganda hearing without being pushed. however, Even C-SPAN refused to televise the hearing. feel like The American people will see what Jim Jordan is trying to do. Jim Jordan and House Republicans would rather use their power to protect Donald Trump than children in mass shootings.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House Press Pool and Congressional Correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform activities.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Association of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
