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.
1 dead, 7 missing after 2 Japan MSDF helicopters crash near Izu Islands
Florida's Bob Graham dead at 87: A leader who looked beyond politics, served ordinary folks
Megan Thee Stallion, Patricia Arquette, and Busy Philipps lead the pro
Ivy Getty takes the plunge in sheer gown as she parties with Emily Ratajkowski and Nicky Hilton
A Medical report on Maradona aims to undercut homicide case against medics
Does China import zero soybeans from Paraguay? — Radio Free Asia
Lockdown lifts at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota after report of a single gunshot
9 facing charges in what Canada police say is biggest gold theft in country's history
Williamson to lead New Zealand at the Twenty20 World Cup; Southee to make his 7th appearance
Voter ID took hold in the North Carolina primary. But challenges remain for the fall election
Poland is still not ready to adopt the euro, its finance minister says
US reimposes oil sanctions on Venezuela ahead of election