Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is planning to file a resolution to hold a New York City attorney in contempt of Congress, accusing him of "misconduct" during a House panel.
The House Judiciary Committee last month questioned attorney Mark Pomerantz, who previously worked under Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg during his investigation of former President Donald Trump, but Pomerantz invoked his Fifth Amendment rights in response to several questions, saying he could not violate rules regarding confidential information.
Gaetz criticized Pomerantz's appearance before the panel and accused him of attempting "to gaslight charges against Donald Trump" as a member of the prosecutorial team.
Gaetz told Fox News Digital: "When the evidence didn't support those charges, he initially got miffed and quit the team and wrote a book about it. Now, he has the nerve to assert his Fifth Amendment privilege over these matters when he has clearly explicitly and repeatedly waived that privilege.
"Contempt is proper where someone refuses to answer Congress' questions under a frivolous assertion."
Asked if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., would support a contempt resolution, Gaetz said he thinks that "right now his principal goal is to remain speaker. Speaker McCarthy has been really strong on oversight matters to date, and I hope and expect it to continue."
Gaetz added: "I've talked to a lot of my colleagues on the weaponization subcommittee, and I'll allow them to speak for themselves, but many agree that the Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination were waived once Pomerantz defended the veracity of his book in response to questions … Pomerantz pled the Fifth when we asked him if he broke any laws while participating in the Trump investigation. We deserve an answer to that question."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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