Democrats try to counter GOP attacks on Bragg during chaotic crime hearing
Ryan King
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A House hearing on crime in New York devolved into partisan finger-pointing on Monday as Republicans target Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
Heading into the hearing, Republicans prepared to step through Bragg’s record on violent crime in the Big Apple after voicing outrage over his indictment against the former president. But Democrats quickly sought to put the GOP on defense by zeroing in on gun laws and crime rates in red states.
The event was marked by tense exchanges and loud protests as the House Judiciary Committee held its first hearing after a two-week recess.
PROTESTERS GATHER OUTSIDE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARING IN MANHATTAN
Bragg takes center stage
Republicans on the Judiciary panel used the hearing to amplify criticisms of Bragg from various activists and constituents. They cited his controversial day-one memo in which he urged his team to be more cautious about pursuing sentences for a range of crimes and to even downgrade charges for crimes such as robberies and drug-dealing.
Witnesses such as former Manhattan bodega clerk Jose Alba and Madeline Brame, the chairwoman of the Victims Rights Reform Council, recounted their experiences with Bragg’s office. Brame, in particular, delivered one of the most emotional testimonies on Monday.
“[Bragg] completely dismissed gang assault and murder indictments against two of the defendants clearly on video participating in the brutal, savage slaughter of my son,” she said during the hearing.
Brame’s son, a veteran, was stabbed to death in front of his father back in 2018. She blasted Bragg for offering a plea deal to the two suspects. Ranking member Jerry Nadler (D-NY) later noted that the suspects were convicted and are serving out life sentences.
Stones in a glass house
As Republicans put Bragg on blast, Democrats quickly attempted to counter the narrative by focusing on high levels of crime in red states. In doing so, Nadler singled out Ohio, the home state of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the chairman of the committee.
“Over the past year, under the leadership of Mayor Adams and District Attorney Bragg, crime in Manhattan has dropped in nearly every major category, including murders down 14%, shootings down 17%, burglaries down 21%, and robberies down 8%. All in one year,” Nadler said.
“Compare that to Mr. Jordan’s Ohio, where the homicide rate is 73% higher than in Manhattan. And on this specific topic of gun violence, the district attorney has to be commended for securing indictments against gun traffickers, ghost gun manufacturers, and other violent criminals,” he said.
Democrats lined up witnesses such as Rebecca Fischer, the executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, to back up their line of argument. At one point, Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) seized on the statistics witnesses cited on crime rates in Republican jurisdictions to request the hearing’s location be moved to Ohio.
“I’m asking parliamentarians, how do we move the venue so we can have a hearing in a city or state that has a serious crime problem? The state of Ohio,” the congressman said.
Jordan quickly replied that it wasn’t a proper point of inquiry. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) later pushed back on the narrative about red-state crime, pinning the nationwide spike in recent years on Democratic megadonor George Soros.
“I have to address this matter of crime rates that my colleagues keep talking about. And to the extent that there is an impact on crime rates in major cities, I would suggest that that is exactly what you get with the Sorosization of the United States justice system,” Gaetz said.
Audience interruption
Before the hearing began, protesters quickly gathered outside the room where lawmakers convened. Many of them wielded signs blasting Jordan as a “traitor” or ripping Republicans for their politically charged venture into the Big Apple.
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Outside the building, protesters accused Jordan and Republicans of doing Trump’s bidding.
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Inside, the tense hearing was frequently interrupted with jeers, laughter, and boos, prompting Jordan to slam his gavel to bring order. At one point, he directed that an audience member be escorted out of the room.
Some of the witnesses even got boisterous at times. At one point, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) drew outrage from Brame when he described the hearing as a “charade” to cover for Trump.
“Don’t insult my intelligence. This is why I walked away from the plantation of the Democratic Party,” she interjected.
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Trump looms large
Underlying the hearing was the GOP’s anger at Bragg for lodging a 34-count indictment against Trump for an alleged scheme to “catch and kill” damaging stories about him during the 2016 election cycle. Trump has denied wrongdoing, and Jordan previously subpoenaed Bragg over the charges, drawing a court challenge.
Democrats took turns accusing the GOP of embarking on a vendetta against Bragg for going after Trump.
“It is the GOP leadership in Congress doing what it has done best over the last six years. And that is to act as the criminal defense counsel for Donald J. Trump,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said. “We should be defending the principle that no one is above the law, not attempting to establish a new principle that if you are politically powerful enough, you get a pass.”
Republicans periodically alluded to the Trump indictment as well.
“My colleagues on the other side of the aisle mentioned former President Trump a number of times,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said, before asking the various witnesses if Trump was the one who perpetrated crimes against them. “Was it former President Donald Trump, Mrs. Brame, that killed your son?”
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Animosity between the two sides boiled over at times, with Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) likening his Republican colleagues to “jackbooted thugs.”
The Empire State trip may not be the last for the panel. During the hearing, the possibility of taking field trips elsewhere to explore crime rates was raised, with Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) suggesting the panel head to Milwaukee in his home state.