Who is Alvin Bragg? The Manhattan DA who pushed for Donald Trump's indictment

On March 30, Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former US President Donald Trump, making him the first US President to be indicted on criminal charges. While the criminal charges against the business mogul-turned-politician were not made public, the charges were related to the case which investigated the involvement of the former US president in paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels. While the recent ruling stirred a storm among Trump’s allies, it was former Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg who also attracted a lot of attention. It was Bragg whose decision to convene the grand jury early this year led to Donald Trump falling prey to the criminal charges in the Stormy Daniels case. 

Bragg, a “son of Harlem” is the 37th District Attorney elected in Manhattan. According to the office of the Manhattan DA, Bragg reached the position through a “lifetime of hard work and courage". However, the roads of Bragg and the former US President collided after he inherited the investigation into the infamous case from his predecessor Cyrus R. Vance Jr. In his career which spans more than two decades, the Manhattan DA has apparently been known to be “soft on crimes”. But, the recent decision by the New York grand jury and the role Bragg played in the whole ordeal, secured him a spot in the history books. 

Who is Alvin Bragg?

According to the office of the Manhattan DA, the son of the Harlem served as both a state and federal prosecutor whose career span for more than two decades. Bragg created history after he became the first Black District Attorney of Manhattan. The 49-year-old grew up in Manhattan’s Harlem neighbourhood. In the 1980s, the region was known for its higher crime rates and even a cocaine epidemic. It was his experience in the Harlem neighbourhood that later influenced his outlook toward crimes. 

The highly celebrated District attorney bagged his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and later received his law degree from Harvard law school. He was also a former member of the Board of Directors of the New York Urban League and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and a Sunday School teacher at his church. The Manhattan DA has also previously served as an assistant attorney general at the New York State Attorney General's Office. The 49-year-old served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York as well.

How did he get involved in the Trump indictment?

The Manhattan DA had a long history with the former President as their roads have been crossed with each other multiple times. According to CBS News, during his time at the New York Attorney General's Office, Bragg was involved in the civil lawsuit filed against the Trump foundation in 2018. In the lawsuit, the foundation was accused of misappropriating and misusing funds for the former US president’s personal and political benefits. The lawsuit ended in 2019 when the New York court ordered the former US President to pay a whopping $2 million to settle the case. 

During his campaign to be the Manhattan DA, Bragg talked about clashing with the former US President Multiple times. "I would emphasize that I have the know-how to do it. I've handled tax fraud cases. I've had mortgage fraud cases. I handled public corruption cases, spanning from bribery to government procurement fraud," Bragg told CBS News in 2020. "I want to emphasize and underscore the significance of the conduct, and my professional ability and experience doing that type of investigation,” he added. In 2022, Bragg handled another case that involved the business mogul. The case dealt with the alleged tax fraud conducted by two entities of the Trump organisations, the Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corp. The entities were fined $810,000 and $800,000 respectively. The company's CFO Allen Weisselberg was sentenced to five months in jail. 

Earlier this year Bragg inherited the grand jury investigation from his predecessor Cyrus R. Vance Jr. After taking the office, Bragg initially expressed his concerns about the strength of the case. Bragg was unsure since two prosecutors leading the investigation resigned. However as time went by, Bragg convened the grand jury and pushed the indictment. 

Soft on crimes?

In the past, the New York City police unions have slammed Bragg and asserted that he was “soft on crime”.  The attack came after Bragg sent out a memo to the staff, just days after he assumed the office. The memo in question states that Bragg’s office would not “prosecute certain offences,” which included marijuana misdemeanours, prostitution and fare evasion. He also stated that the prosecutors would not seek prison times in certain cases. 

However, the office of the DA stated that under Bragg’s leadership, the office has increased gun prosecutions, focused on gun traffickers and ghost gun manufacturers, and charged and secured convictions for numerous armed robberies, shootings, and homicides. He also created Special Victims Division, which includes the Domestic Violence, Sex Crimes, Human Trafficking, Child Abuse, and Elder Abuse Units. Overall, Bragg’s perseverance to hold the former US President accountable has enshrined his name in the American History books.