By Eric Tucker, Associated Press
Washington (AP)-A key prosecutor in the case of classified documents against President Donald Trump invoked his fifth amendment against self-incrimination on Wednesday during an interview with Congress, refusing to answer questions because of the concern concerning the will of the Trump administration of “the armament of the government’s machinery” against the perceived opponents, said a spokesperson.
Jay Bratt had been assigned to appear before the Judicial Committee of the Chamber led by Les Républicains for an interview with behind closed doors but did not answer substantial questions because of his constitutional right of the fifth amendment to remain silent.
Bratt spent more than three decades at the Ministry of Justice before retiring in January, just a few weeks before President Donald Trump took office. He was a key prosecutor of national security to the team of special lawyer Jack Smith, who, in 2023, accused Trump of having illegally amassed classified documents in his field Mar-A-Lago in Florida and of having obstructed the efforts of the government to recover them.
“He did not choose to investigate Mar-A-Lago; the facts and the evidence of a serious violation of the law and national security led him there,” said Peter Carr, spokesperson for justice Connection, a network of the former from the Ministry of Justice.
“This administration and its proxies have made no effort to hide their will to arm the government machine against those which they perceive as political enemies,” added Carr. “This should alarm all the Americans who believe in the rule of law. In the light of these undeniable and deeply disturbing circumstances, Mr. Bratt had no choice but to invoke his rights of the fifth amendment. ”
The declaration describes Bratt as someone who spent his career in the public service “protecting our nation from some of the most serious national security threats – notably spies, murderers and other criminal actors – always without fear or favor.”
A federal judge in Florida rejected the accusation last year after concluding that Smith had been illegally appointed to the special council post. The appeal by the Ministry of Justice of this decision was pending at the time of Trump’s presidential victory in November, when the Smith team abandoned this case and a separate prosecution accusing Trump of conspiracy to cancel the results of the 2020 elections.
Since his entry into office, Trump has embarked on a large -scale remuneration campaign against those responsible for opponents.
His administration issued decrees aimed at punishing the main law firms, including some with current or past associations with prosecutors who have investigated it before. The Ministry of Justice, on the other hand, dismissed lawyers who sat on the Smith team and also created a “armament working group” aimed at reviewing the measures taken during the Biden administration. This group is led by Ed Martin, whose appointment to be the best federal prosecutor in Washington was removed by the White House last week.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
