By Sam Cabral, BBC News, Washington
image provided, Getty Images
In 2021, Alvin Bragg, 49, will become the first black man to be elected New York District Attorney. The historical spotlight on the prosecutor Bragg is getting brighter and brighter.
After leaving the prosecutor’s office on Friday night, Mr. Bragg was speechless to the assembled press. As the first prosecutor in history to indict a former U.S. president (whether the charges are federal, state or district) as a suspect in a criminal case, my name will continue to go down in the history books. The person himself should have known.
A prosecution team led by Bragg has been investigating hush payments allegedly between Donald Trump, 76, and a former porn star.
Trump, a Republican from New York, vehemently denies any wrongdoing. On his own social media site, Truth Social, he wrote that he didn’t think he would get a fair trial in New York.
「falseandcorruptiondeathUgly allegationsThey brought this up against me because they stand with the American people, and they know I won’t get a fair trial in New York! ‘” Trump emphasized (bold is capitalized in the original).
Bragg, who is a district attorney for the District of Manhattan, New York, will become a district attorney in early 2022 as a veteran prosecutor. His election promises centered around two themes. One is to promote alternative forms of punishment other than serving time in prison. The other was to strengthen prosecutions of white-collar crimes and corruption of public officials.
In the election campaign for district attorney, prosecutor Bragg emphasized his career and emphasized how it made him keenly aware of the importance of prosecutorial reform. The prosecutor was born and raised in Harlem, New York City, at a time when crack cocaine addiction was rampant in the 1980s.
The prosecutor recounts his experience of being held at gunpoint by a police officer, seeing a murder victim lying in front of his front door, and having his brother-in-law temporarily detained and then living with him for a while. was
Bragg, who attended Harvard University and Harvard Law School, became a prosecutor specializing in white-collar fraud cases and the civil rights movement. In 2014, he represented the family of black man Eric Garner, who died in a New York City police arrest.
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Bragg District Attorney’s Team Wins Tax Evasion Conviction Against Trump Organization Last Year
Bragg is an experienced prosecutor at various federal and state levels. He has served as Deputy Attorney General of New York State, Chief Trial Counsel for the New York City Council, and has served as Deputy Attorney General for the Southern District of New York.
Shortly after taking office in January 2022, Prosecutor Bragg detailed new policies for prosecution, bail, arraignment and sentencing in the Manhattan area. He said he would no longer prosecute for misdemeanors such as free public transportation and minor cannabis-related offenses.
Strong opposition from the New York Police Department and business circles about this, combined with an increase in the number of violent crimes in New York City, forced prosecutor Bragg to apologize and withdraw his policy.
Since then, Bragg says there has been a decline in serious crime and violent crime in the city since he took office. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump and his supporters, who have long criticized the prosecutor, attack Bragg as a “radical” liberal who is easy on criminals.
Shortly after Bragg took office, two prosecutors resigned from the district attorney’s office. One of them blamed Bragg’s “ignorance” as the reason for his resignation. Bragg, unlike his predecessor Vance, said the investigation into Trump was “indefinitely suspended” because of Bragg’s unwillingness to press charges against him.
In response, the district attorney’s office said the investigation was ongoing and was “considering evidence not previously considered.”
A New York state court jury found them guilty on all counts last December in a case in which two subsidiaries of the Trump Organization were indicted on charges including tax evasion. The case was filed by prosecutor Bragg and his team. Trump himself was not indicted, but Allen Weisselberg, the longtime chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, was found guilty and is currently serving a five-month prison sentence.
In January, Bragg called a grand jury of 23 randomly selected New Yorkers to serve as jurors. He asked for a review on whether the investigation into the “hush money” payment to Daniels provided enough evidence to indict Trump.
After deliberation, a grand jury decided on March 31 to indict Trump. This historic indictment could have huge implications for future developments. As Mr. Trump seeks re-election in 2024, many of his supporters, outraged by his indictments, may become irritated and gain momentum, leading to him returning to the White House.