FOX First Report: New York Rep. Claudia Tenney sent a letter to New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hockle on Thursday calling on her to pardon former President Trump following his conviction last month. House Republicans argued that the case “undermines the fairness and integrity of our once-respected justice system and is unacceptable.”
“As a full member of the New York State Bar Association, I urge you to pardon President Trump and restore faith in our justice system,” Tenney said in the letter, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital. “As all Americans know, our justice system is designed to be fair and blind. Individuals who commit crimes should be prosecuted. However, under the failed leadership of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney has not investigated crimes and instead targeted individuals who do. This is not how our justice system is designed to work.”
“Millions of Americans, including those who do not support President Trump, agree with my assessment of this case and fully support President Trump's pardon. This case completely undermines our justice system and is nothing more than a partisan political prosecution,” Tenney wrote. “My fellow Democrat, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, has also called for President Trump to be pardoned. Pardoning President Trump is not a partisan issue; it is an American issue that is necessary to preserve the integrity of our justice system.”
Phillips, who was once President Biden's rival in the primary, said in a post on X late last month that Hawkle should pardon Trump “for the good of the country,” despite believing Trump is “a habitual liar, cheater, womanizer, six-time corporate bankruptcy declarant, instigator of insurrection, and a convicted felon who thrives on portraying himself as the victim.”
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Tenney also called on Hawkle to remove Bragg from his position as Manhattan district attorney.
New York Governor Kathy Hockle speaks before President Biden's speech at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York, on April 25. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The congressman also suggested that Bragg may have broken the law in pursuing his case against Trump: Bragg “used a distorted version of events to advance trumped-up charges in 'The People v. Trump,'” a ruling that he wrote was “legally questionable at best and criminal at worst.”
In similar cases, Bragg's “sole purpose in filing this lawsuit was to target the former president and has neglected to prosecute other individuals,” the letter said. “Targeting individuals, especially for political purposes, is unethical and unconstitutional.”
The letter further argues that “Mr. Bragg does not have standing to pursue this lawsuit, which relies on outlandish and baseless legal theories concocted solely for the purpose of prosecuting President Trump for political reasons.”
Former President Trump leaves the room after addressing reporters following the verdict in the hush money trial at Trump Tower in New York City on May 31. (Getty Images)
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Tenney said her father was one of the longest-serving justices on the New York State Supreme Court and that “he served with honor for 35 years and witnessed firsthand what true and unbiased justice looks like for people across New York State.” She said Bragg “failed to uphold the high ethical standards expected of lawyers and district attorneys.”
“It is your solemn duty to protect the constitutional rights of every defendant who appears in court,” Tenney wrote to Hawkle. “I now ask that, as Governor of the State of New York, you restore the integrity of our nation's criminal justice system by pardoning former President Donald J. Trump and removing Alvin Bragg from his position as District Attorney of New York County.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stands with staff during a press conference following the conviction of former President Trump in his hush money trial in New York City on May 30. (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Haukl's office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Trump completed a private pre-sentence interview by video conference with his probation officer on Monday, a required procedure before the presumptive Republican nominee's sentencing hearing before Judge Juan Marchan on July 11. Trump will be sentenced just four days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where the GOP is likely to formally nominate him as its presidential candidate.
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A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in an attempt to hide hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. Trump's lawyers have vowed to appeal the conviction.
Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Send your story tips to danielle.wallace@fox.com or on Twitter: @danimwallace.