Alvin Bragg, the newly elected Manhattan district attorney, made history when he became the first prosecutor in the US to charge a former president.
Bragg indicted Donald Trump in the Hush Money case, in which the former president is accused of paying money to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged sexual encounter in 2006. While this achievement has brought Bragg into the spotlight, it is not the only one he has under his belt.
Bragg was also the first Black Manhattan DA to win the post, which he did in November 2021. As a progressive Democrat candidate, he pledged to opt for alternatives to imprisonment and to ramp up prosecutions of financial fraud and crimes. Born in Harlem in 1973, Bragg has faced aggressive policing by the New York Police Department, which he says has shaped his support for restorative justice.
In an interview with the American Prospective magazine, Bragg spoke about how he had been “deeply affected by the criminal justice system, most directly through three gunpoint stops by the NYPD during unconstitutional stops.” Bragg, who was educated at Harvard, believes that “You can’t really fully have public safety without trust.”
Before becoming the Manhattan DA, Bragg worked for the New York attorney general and the Southern District of New York. However, his start as a DA was not smooth sailing. When he took office in January 2021, he said he would not deal with low-level offenses but would prosecute major and serious crimes. However, he revisited his policy after severe criticism from the NYPD and Democratic Mayor Eric Adams.
Bragg had initially hesitated with the Trump case, which started in 2018 and he inherited from his predecessor Cyrus Vance. In February 2021, two leading prosecutors pulled themselves out of the investigation. However, the DA’s office said in a statement that it is investigating the ongoing case of the Hush Money amount paid to Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Last year, the Trump Organization and another Trump business entity were convicted of financial fraud and tax evasion by showing false business records. Trump Organization’s CEO Allen Weisselberg was served with five months in prison and was fined $2 million for being part of the embezzlement, but Trump was not charged. This has increased Bragg’s confidence to form a jury to investigate Trump’s financial payment case.
Former prosecutor Bennett Gershman praised Bragg, saying that he has shown himself to be flexible and pragmatic. As Trump’s attacks ramped up on Bragg, the DA’s office told staff that his office will “not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.”
The exact charges against Trump are not yet known as the indictment is currently under seal. According to CNN, the charges against Trump could include more than 30 counts related to business fraud. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and insisted that he is “completely innocent” of all charges. He has also vowed not to drop out of the 2024 presidential race despite facing criminal charges.
