OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is back in the spotlight this week.
Bragg, who has dominated headlines in recent weeks since he brought the case that led to the indictment of former President Donald Trump, announced the arrest of their last suspect allegedly involved in a string of assaults and robberies that are believed to be connected to the deaths of two men, Gothamist reported.
“Their motive — we allege — was simple: to make money,” Bragg said at a news conference at NYPD headquarters. “They approached people leaving bars and nightclubs late at night, engaged them in conversation, and offered them illicit and dangerous substances.”
“I cannot imagine how painful it is for the families of Mr. Ramirez and Mr. Umberger,” Bragg said. “My thoughts continue to be with them. It’s my sincere hope that today will bring some solace in the fact that our investigation has now led to these charges.”
The timing, of course, is of note.
Bragg’s press conference came after several House Republicans held a hearing on Monday in the area to speak with witnesses on the impact of soft-on-crime policies by district attorneys, including Alvin Bragg, on New Yorkers.
Bragg has come under heavy fire in recent weeks since Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury.
The Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump on 34 criminal charges of falsifying business records related to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Trump sent a payment to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, allegedly to keep Daniels quiet about an affair the two of them had in 2006. Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy declared that Congress will take action after Trump appeared in Manhattan for his arraignment earlier this month in the case brought against him by Bragg.
McCarthy voiced his frustration and vowed to hold Bragg accountable.
“Alvin Bragg is attempting to interfere in our democratic process by invoking federal law to bring politicized charges against President Trump, admittedly using federal funds, while at the same time arguing that the peoples’ representatives in Congress lack jurisdiction to investigate this farce. Not so. Bragg’s weaponization of the federal justice process will be held accountable by Congress,” McCarthy tweeted.
Many other Republicans issued strong statements in support of Trump.
Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley said: “Tonight’s indictment of Donald Trump isn’t about the law. It’s about power. Raw power. It’s the Democrat Party telling the nation they will stop at nothing to control the outcome of the next presidential election. It is an assault on our democracy, pure and simple.”
Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and 2024 GOP presidential candidate, tweeted: “From everything I have seen from this New York district attorney is that this would be something he’d be doing for political points. I think what we know is, when you get into political prosecutions like this, it’s more about revenge than it is about justice.”
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz responded: “The Democrat Party’s hatred for Donald Trump knows no bounds. The ‘substance’ of this political persecution is utter garbage. This is completely unprecedented and is a catastrophic escalation in the weaponization of the justice system.”
The indictment has triggered outrage from many given federal prosecutors in the U.S. attorneys office for the Southern District of New York chose not to charge Trump in 2019 related to the payment to Daniels.
The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.
The DA’s reported decision also comes as Trump is running for president in 2024, which has led to some arguing that the investigation and charges are politically motivated.
Famed attorney Alan Dershowitz challenged Bragg to find “a single case” in which a person was indicted for the same thing as Trump. Dershowitz also said Bragg’s pledge to prosecute Trump while running for office should be “disbarrable.”
