House Judiciary Committee discusses Manhattan crime

On Monday, the committee held a field hearing in Manhattan to hear from victims of violent crimes in the city. One witness, Madeline Brame, blamed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for seeking long prison sentences for only two of the four people involved in her son’s killing. Republicans leading the committee, such as Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, allege that Bragg has been soft on crime. Early in his term, he sent a memo indicating that his office wouldn’t prosecute some misdemeanor crimes.

What do Democrats have to say? Democrats on the committee, such as ranking member New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, argue that crime rates are not as bad as Republicans have claimed—nowhere near historical record highs. Nadler called the hearing “political theater“ and accused Republicans of trying to undermine Bragg after he recently charged former President Donald Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Republicans are calling Bragg’s prosecution of Trump a political stunt and accusing him of ignoring more pressing crimes.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta and Leo Briceno’s report in WORLD Magazine about Bragg’s prosecution of Trump.