By Zainab Antepli
NEW YORK, NY – New York political leaders Friday released a joint statement condemning ex-President Donald J. Trump’s remarks about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office is investigating Trump for payment of “hush money” to a prostitute and related criminal acts.
Signors include, Rev. Al Sharpton, Former Gov. David Paterson, NAACP NYS President Hazel Dukes, U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Adirano Espaillat, City Comptroller Brad Lander, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, State Senator Liz Krueger, State Senator Robert Jackson, State Senator Cordell Cleare, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Assemblymember Inez E. Dickens, Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs, and City Councilmember Shaun Abreau.
The leaders praised Bragg as “the first Black person elected” as the Manhattan District Attorney and then noted Trump called Bragg a “Soros-backed animal,” insisting that such a comment evoked sentiments of racism and anti-semitism.
The signers said Bragg is a lawyer who has been attributed as a “respectful, courageous, ethical” person with a fairly distinguished career of more than 20 years as both a “state and federal prosecutor, [who] brought many tough, high-profile cases against powerful people,” including “a sitting DA, leader of the NYS legislation, a mayor and an FBI agent.”
Trump’s attack was criticized by these NYC leaders as being extremely disrespectful and disgraceful, as not a “dog-whistle but a bullhorn of incendiary racist and anti-semitic bile” with the sole intent of “intimidating and sabotaging a lawful, legitimate, fact-based investigation.”
The city leaders charged these attacks on the judicial system were “ugly, hateful and anti-American” and should be “universally condemned without equivocation or hesitation…it is clear that Trump would burn down the greatest values of our democracy, and destroy honest, ethical officials performing their constitutional duties, to escape accountability.”
The NYC leaders also noted in their statement their sentiments regarding the broader reach of how these “racist” remarks are contrary to the fundamentals of American institutions.
They argue that “to protect the rule of law in our country” and to continue having faith in “the principles of our America’s founding that all are created equal” then everyone who agrees with these ideals and “believes themselves a person of character and conscience must stand” with them to reject and condemn “this unprecedented attack on the foundation of our democracy.”
Wow! So it evoked racism and anti-semitism? Isn’t anti-semitism also racism?
I think it’s a stretch, what Trump is saying is that Bragg is of the Soros backed group, division or category of progressive DA’s. And how does anti-semitism come into it? Because Soros is Jewish? Another stretch.
Is it a surprise that people like Al Sharpton would bring racism into this? It was just a matter of time because everything these days gets goes down that rabbit hole.
People contribute money to candidates seeking office all of the time. Should we discredit Trump’s candidacy chiefly based upon who has donated to his campaign?
Isn’t calling an African American man an animal at least a tad racist? How would Keith Olsen like being referred to as an ‘animal’? I am sure Keith would appreciate it and consider that a compliment.
Trump’s Legal Strategy: Vilify Prosecutors, Stall Probes and Rally GOP Base
It’s not a rabbit hole if it’s the truth irregardless of whether Republicans like it or not. ?
I wholeheartedly agree with everything in their statement.
This will be my only comment on this: I have seen the “Banana Republic” comment a lot from right winger defenders of Trump. I would think they would be more careful given Trump’s attempts to hold power post election in 2020. I definitely think that this is both the most problematic charge (from a legal standpoint) and it’s a mistake to go into court against high powered attorneys with untested legal theories. But… I definitely be more sanguine given the weight of Georgia and Jan 6 potential inciting insurrection charges that I think are much more serious.