Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg: This office will not be intimidated by Trump's call for protests

AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg sent an email to staff in his office to reassure them that any attempt of intimidation by former President Trump and his supporters will not be tolerated. In the email, he stated, “We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.” For a man who is bringing a loser of a case against Trump, he’s trying to sound like he’s got it all under control.

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Let’s be honest here – Bragg is moving forward with the case against Trump because he was intimidated to do so. To now talk about his office potentially being intimidated is rich. Two prosecutors heading the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s probe into the Trump Organization called it quits in February 2022 over the direction the prosecution, or lack thereof, was going. This investigation has been going on since 2018 under then-DA Cyrus Vance, who charged the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg with tax fraud. The goal was always to drag Trump into the case. When Bragg became the DA, he was not as enthusiastic in pursuing the case against Trump. So, two prosecutors quit after Bragg expressed doubts about the case against Trump. He knows the case is basically a misdemeanor, not a felony. If the payoff to Stormy Daniels is a crime, it is only a felony if it is part of a tax fraud case, which it doesn’t look like. Bragg’s reluctance to pursue a felony charge angered the prosecutors.

Bragg’s email to staff came in response to Trump’s call for his supporters to “protest, protest, protest” the alleged leak that Trump will be arrested next week. There has been no formal announcement from Bragg’s office of this timeline or that Trump will be indicted or arrested. His office is beefing up security measures.

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“Our law enforcement partners will ensure that any specific or credible threats against the office will be fully investigated and that the proper safeguards are in place so all 1,600 of us have a secure work environment,” Bragg wrote, adding that the office has been coordinating with the New York Police Department and Office of Court Administration, the administrative arm of the court system in New York.

Bragg added that “as with all of our investigations, we will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly, and speak publicly only when appropriate.” In his email, Bragg didn’t identify Trump by name, referring only to the “public comments surrounding an ongoing investigation by this office.”

Is DA Bragg really going to indict and arrest Trump over a payout to a stripper? This is a new level of Trump derangement syndrome if it proves to be true. Bragg was correct in his first inclination to let it go and not pursue criminal prosecution against a former president. It would be a historical first to do so. It would prove this to be a political prosecution.

Bragg’s email didn’t go into specifics about threats and didn’t name Trump. A Trump spokesman was busy explaining that Trump’s office has not been notified of an arrest coming this week after Trump’s claims on Truth Social were posted.

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Bragg looks weak. He looks as though it is he who has been intimidated into pursuing criminal prosecution against Trump for political reasons. Legal experts opine that this case is not on firm legal grounds. If a DA is going to go after a former president for the first time ever, he better come up with a solid case. Bragg does not appear to have that.

Trump is continuing on with his life. He traveled to Tulsa to attend the NCAA Wrestling Championships. He was the guest of Senator Markwayne Mullin. He received a warm welcome.

Donald Trump has received a standing ovation from Tulsa supporters as he arrived inside the NCAA Wrestling Championships at BOK Center.

Wrestling fans cheered the ex-president as he pumped a defiant fist into the air in his first outing since announcing he would be arrested Tuesday in connection to hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The crowd pleaser walked through swathes of supporters as he took his seat in the arena waving and smiling despite his claims of imminent arrest.

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One person who was not with the senator and the former president was Governor Kevin Stitt. He is a good friend of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, likely to get into the Republican presidential primary to challenge Trump.

Trump supporters held flags with his name on them outside the sports arena. Supporters also gathered outside Mar-a-Lago.

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Ed Morrissey 10:00 PM | December 11, 2024
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