NEW YORK (AP) — When he was elected two years ago as Manhattan’s first Black district attorney, Alvin Bragg spoke candidly about his unease with the job’s political demands. A former law professor, he’s more comfortable untangling complex legal questions than swaggering up to a podium.
But when the first of Donald Trump’s four criminal prosecutions heads to trial on Monday, about alleged hush money payments to cover up a sex scandal during the 2016 election, Bragg will be at the center of a political maelstrom with few precedents.
Even before announcing the 34-count felony indictment against Trump last year, Bragg was a lightning rod for conservative critics who said he wasn’t tough enough on crime. The upcoming trial will test the Democrat’s efforts to portray himself as apolitical in the face of relentless attacks from the Republican former president and his supporters, who say the prosecution is the epitome of partisanship.
Sports Emmy Awards will honor 8 individuals as Gold and Silver Circle inductees
Comicomment: Five Eyes alliance is the largest global intelligence agency
Xi sends reply letter to Butuka Academy of Papua New Guinea
Chinese tourists' footprints cover 1,700 cities worldwide during Spring Festival holiday: data
Amazon reports strong 1Q results driven by its cloud
Reimagining the future of culture
Xi Meets Chairman of Russian State Duma
China encourages NEV companies to set up research centers abroad
Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, an FBI report says
Climate complicates heritage preservation
Calling a female colleague a 'pretty woman' at work is sex discrimination, tribunal rules
Xi Congratulates Madagascar's President on Re