AP Desperately Tries to Salvage DA Bragg’s Reputation

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump on baseless charges has sparked controversy and highlighted double standards in the legal and law enforcement systems. While this has tarnished the office of the District Attorney, Bragg has found support in the form of a recent “FACT FOCUS” article by the Associated Press (AP) attempting to debunk criticism of his record. However, upon closer inspection, the article’s supposed “facts” are misleading and inaccurate.

Social media users are accusing Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, of having poor prosecutorial judgment in other cases. But some posts distort Bragg’s decisions, from falsely accusing him of ignoring a case his office is prosecuting to misleadingly suggesting he should investigate a case outside his jurisdiction. Here’s a closer look at the facts.

The AP article dismisses claims of disinformation about Bragg on social media, implying that their examination of the facts will reveal the truth. However, the examples they provide fall short of supporting their argument. The first case they cite involving the shooting of a subway passenger is already being prosecuted by Bragg’s office, so it’s unclear what the article is trying to prove there.

Their second example, which involves garage attendant Moussa Diarra, is also misleading. While the AP claims that Bragg’s office isn’t prosecuting him for attempted murder, Diarra was in fact arrested and charged with attempted murder over the weekend. The charges were later dropped, but this doesn’t change the fact that Bragg’s initial inclination was to prosecute the victim, as he has done in other cases.

Finally, the AP cites a 2020 attack on a 15-year-old girl by teen gang members as an example of disinformation about Bragg’s record. However, this attack occurred before Bragg took office and outside his jurisdiction, so it’s unclear how this relates to his current performance as Manhattan District Attorney.

In essence, the AP’s attempt to defend Bragg falls flat due to misleading and selective use of facts. This article is just the latest chapter in a long tale of Bragg’s failures as a prosecutor, and officials from both sides of the aisle have criticized him as “the worst DA ever.” It’s time to hold him accountable for his poor judgment and stop defending him with misleading information.