Criminal charges have been filed against ex-President Donald Trump for allegedly making money to cover up suspicions of an extramarital affair during his 2016 presidential campaign. After a grand jury in New York decided to prosecute him, the investigation has been turned over to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The first-ever criminal charge against a former U.S. president was brought about by Bragg’s decision to summon the grand jury at the beginning of this year.
In 2022, after being elected in November 2021, Alvin Bragg became the first Black district attorney in Manhattan. Nearly 500 lawyers in Manhattan report to him as district attorney, and he is responsible for prosecuting nearly all criminal cases in the borough. It’s a high-profile position that demands managing cases involving high-profile defendants who are typically extremely wealthy, famous, or influential. It’s a job that’s often seen on popular TV dramas like “Law & Order” and “Blue Bloods,” making it one of the most visible in the world of prosecution. The district attorney’s office has a yearly budget of around $150 million and uses a $800 million forfeiture fund driven by Wall Street settlements to support grants to criminal justice and community organizations as well as key initiatives like testing backlogged rape cases.
The district attorney is a public officer and one of five elected district attorneys in New York City. Bragg emerged victorious from a contentious Democratic primary and went on to be elected Manhattan’s district attorney in the general election. Bragg is the fourth district attorney to be elected in Manhattan in the last eight decades, following in the footsteps of Cyrus Vance Jr., who will retire at the end of 2021. He is an ex-federal prosecutor turned civil rights attorney who defended Eric Garner’s mother after her son died in a police chokehold in 2014. He attended Harvard Law School. Bragg has pledged to remove cash bail and has said he would work with other prosecutors to change the atmosphere of the office to make it possible. Soon after he took office, he issued a memorandum saying his department would no longer pursue certain criminal cases.
After Trump’s 2016 election victory, Bragg inherited a grand jury investigation into possible hush money payments made on Trump’s behalf. After he took office, he slowed down the process of indicting Trump, claiming doubts about the legitimacy of the evidence. Two prosecutors publicly quit in protest, saying his actions were impeding the inquiry. But after Bragg successfully prosecuted Trump’s family firm for tax fraud, he called for a new grand jury. A “strong demarcation line” had been drawn, he said, and the investigation could now proceed. In closed-door grand jury procedures, prosecutors interrogate witnesses while community members serving as grand jurors also have the opportunity to offer questions. Grand juries have three options: they can indict, they can conclude there is insufficient evidence, or they can urge the prosecution to submit reduced charges.
