Bragg vs. Trump: NYC is drowning in crime. How does convicting the former president make us safe?

From Chesa Boudin and Larry Krasner to George Gascón and Kim Foxx, proponents of the alleged "progressive" authoritative task often support wide non-prosecution policies and administrative restrictions connected prosecutorial tools similar sentencing enhancements and pretrial detention arsenic tenable exercises of discretion successful a satellite of constricted resources. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is simply a premier example, having leaned connected this precise rationale successful self-defense aft his infamous "Day One Memo" was met with astir unanimous nationalist disapproval. The statement goes thing similar this: Intelligent exercises of discretion that filter retired low-risk and/or nonviolent offenders volition let prosecutors to absorption connected the existent atrocious guys.

Leaving speech the question of whether rigid, broad policies of non-prosecution for agelong lists of offenses represent specified exercises of "discretion" (as opposed to, say, the unilateral abrogation of duly enacted legislation), there’s inactive the question of whether "discretion" is being utilized wisely. In Alvin Bragg’s case, the thought that his wide non-prosecution policies are meant to facilitate the redirection of resources to much superior kinds of transgression strains credulity successful airy of however overmuch clip and wealth his bureau has poured into the transgression prosecution of now-president-elect Donald J. Trump. 

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Earlier this year, Fox News reported connected documents obtained by the Heritage Foundation done a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) petition which showed that the Manhattan D.A.’s bureau allocated $1,000,000 from an bureau money successful bid to prosecute extracurricular counsel to grip legislature oversight inquiries regarding the case. While determination isn’t a publically reported dollar magnitude ballparking what the bureau has spent connected that prosecution, a ineligible expert estimated that information costs unsocial would apical $50,000 a time during the trial. Then there’s the clip and resources spent by the bureau connected the investigation, and the litigation itself. 

Couldn’t those dollars person been spent on, say, minimizing the fig of cases dismissed nether Bragg’s tenure (no uncertainty owed successful portion to the strains placed connected his bureau by New York State’s misguided find betterment instrumentality enacted successful 2020)? Couldn’t that wealth person gone to, I don’t know, going aft repetition retail thieves, cause dealers, and home abusers?

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Those kinds of questions are particularly poignant erstwhile 1 wonders how, exactly, convicting a erstwhile president of felonies relating to however a fiscal transaction was documented serves nationalist safety. After all, Donald Trump had nary transgression past to talk of, truthful 1 couldn’t credibly reason that helium needed to beryllium incapacitated via incarceration. 

Trump is besides a affluent man (despite New York Attorney General Leticia James’ champion efforts), which should substance to Bragg, who has implied a content that astatine slightest immoderate transgression behaviour is driven by poverty. 

The soon-to-be 47th president of the United States is besides not a young man, which is important, because—and conscionable inquire your nearest transgression justness "reformer"—recidivism hazard declines with age. Perhaps Mr. Bragg conscionable wanted to make an accidental to rehabilitate Trump. No. The astir plausible mentation for Bragg’s crusade is simply a governmental one: Getting this peculiar scalp is the benignant of triumph that Democratic partisans could lone imagination of. 

But The Guy Who Got Trump seemingly wasn’t counting connected a palmy re-election bid, which volition preclude the enforcement of immoderate condemnation until aft the president-elect’s adjacent word successful bureau concludes—further undercutting immoderate payoff determination mightiness person been for securing a conviction. 

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Bragg’s foray into lawfare whitethorn person besides travel astatine a outgo that won’t amusement up successful a fund spreadsheet; and New Yorkers whitethorn person gotten a sensation of it this week erstwhile a madman went connected a deadly stabbing spree successful the bosom of Bragg’s Manhattan, sidesplitting 3 people. The antheral charged with those homicides was arrested 8 times successful New York City. 

How were those cases handled? What are New Yorkers expected to deliberation erstwhile the perpetrators of heinous crimes crook retired to person extended and caller transgression histories? Could Bragg’s bureau person done much to shield Manhattanites from the convulsive impulses of a intelligibly unstable transgression with a past of reoffending had it not spent truthful overmuch time, money, and vigor connected securing a high-profile condemnation that does thing for nationalist safety, but does boost the governmental vocation prospects of 1 Alvin Bragg?

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stands with members of his unit astatine a quality league pursuing the condemnation of erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump successful his hush wealth proceedings connected May 30, 2024, successful New York City. Trump was recovered blameworthy connected each 34 felony counts of falsifying concern records successful the archetypal of his transgression cases to spell to trial.  (Getty Images)

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As my Manhattan Institute colleague, Hannah Meyers, recently wrote, "only 45% of Manhattan battle cases were dismissed" 10 years ago, yet successful 2023, that fig jumped to 66%. Add to that falling condemnation rates, transgression rates that are overmuch higher than they were pre-pandemic (particularly erstwhile 1 adjusts for changes successful regular activities), and the information that deodorants are kept nether fastener and key, and the representation becomes clearer; but it’s a representation that’s not arsenic beauteous arsenic it was conscionable a fistful of years ago. The question is what New Yorkers program to bash astir it.

With immoderate important elections acceptable to instrumentality spot adjacent year, volition New York articulation the different bluish states and cities that person pushed back connected the excesses of "progressive" transgression justness reform? One happening is for (almost) certain: Come January 2025, erstwhile Mr. Bragg volition no-doubt beryllium making preparations for his reelection bid, the antheral helium declared Public Enemy No. 1 volition beryllium sworn successful arsenic the nation’s 47th president. The question voters should beryllium asking him is, "Was it truly worthy it?"

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