Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg Continues to Garner Criticism, Including from Fellow Dems
By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh
Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney who took office at the beginning of 2022, has attracted more than just average level criticism. He has been attacked by both sides of the political spectrum for different reasons and has become the subject of mockery for late night comedians.
As reported by the NY Times, upon being minted the new DA, Mr. Bragg, a Democrat and the first African American to hold the office, came under intense criticism from Republicans in relation to a memo he released on his first days at the job, which said his office would not seek jail time except for the most serious crimes. In late February, the DA became a punching bag for Democrats, following the resignation of two prosecutors who were leading his office’s investigation into former President Donald J. Trump’s finances.
To their dismay, he had decided the case against Trump did not have strong enough evidence to pursue criminal charges. Following lots of criticism and a long silence on his part, Mr. Bragg has said that inquiry is still ongoing. This is how he has quickly become a source of disdain for political watchers from both sides. Mr. Bragg’s tenure and his ability to get things done is being bogged down by the critics and noise, leaving him to fight off or attempt to “neutralize” the commentators, by making comments which attempt to appease one side of the spectrum. “The most disappointing thing was how quickly he seemed to cave to this prevailing, fear-mongering narrative,” said Amanda Jack, a member of 5 Boro Defenders.
“The second we start thinking we’re politicians, we’ve taken a real wrong turn,” Mr. Bragg has said early in his tenure, expressing his wish to just do his job without being a politician. As per a recent article in the NY Times, the fact that he doesn’t consider himself a politician, though, may be part of his problem. “I think that as a first-time elected official, there’s been a rocky adjustment to go from campaigning to actually doing the job,” said Daniel S. Goldman, who was a federal prosecutor in the same office as Mr. Bragg.
The timing has also worked against Mr. Bragg. When he took office, crime was at historic lows but now gun crimes have skyrocketed to troublesome heights. He had hoped to win over the masses by accomplishing his goals despite his public blunders, but that hasn’t happened for him yet. Presumably, Mr. Bragg has at least another three years and eight months to get it right.
