MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell couldn’t contain his praise for Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg after he successfully prosecuted Donald Trump, referring to the prosecutor as ‘the anointed one.’
Bragg led the prosecution as the former president was found guilty on Thursday on all 34 felony counts after a very brief deliberation. He faces sentencing on July 11.
O’Donnell – a former Congressional speechwriter before his transition to television – was effusive in his praise for Bragg.
He referenced a 1995 op-ed written in the Harvard Crimson that called Bragg – then a student and a leader in the Harvard Black Students Association – ‘the anointed one.’
‘That’s the right title,’ declared O’Donnell, a former writer for The West Wing. ‘That’s who this guy is.’
MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell couldn’t contain his praise for Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg after he successfully prosecuted Donald Trump, referring to him as ‘the anointed one’
He continued, ‘The people of Manhattan who elected him, that’s what they saw. They saw somebody who is dedicated to doing this job and doing it flawlessly and so profoundly modestly.’
‘In a country in the Trump era that desperately needs lessons in modesty, Alvin Bragg is that lesson.’
Fellow liberal MSNBC host Rachel Maddow agreed with O’Donnell.
‘You know, Lawrence, it is such a good point that in this moment, when it is remembered in history, yes, the crimes will be part of the history, the criminals will be part of the history, absolutely,’ she said.
‘But the people who were brave enough to take this through the criminal justice system against all the threat that they had to face in order to do it, and against all of the odds and against the most powerful people in the country, some of the most powerful people in the world to do it.’
The Harvard Crimson op-ed praised an event Bragg organized in 1992, a speech by City University of New York professor Leonard Jeffries.
Bragg was able to lower tensions between black and Jewish students over the speech, which many protested over accusations that Jeffries was anti-Semitic, an accusation one black student called ‘bulls***.’
The op-ed praised Bragg as ‘a rare ability to reconcile diverse people and clashing views.’
Bragg led the prosecution as the former president was found guilty Thursday on all 34 felony counts after a very brief deliberation
Trump faces sentencing for his 34 felony convictions on July 11
The Crimson argued, somewhat ironically, ‘The Harvard senior himself says he will likely not end up running for office. But whatever he does eventually, today there is a definite sense of the anointed about him.’
Nowadays, Bragg is considered one of the leaders of a new ‘progressive DA’ movement, one of several funded by left-wing billionaire George Soros.
In February, it was revealed that Bragg has downgraded a staggering 60 percent of felony cases to lesser charges in the last year, data from his office shows.
The DA reduced 938 of the most serious charged in 2023, 834 of which were brought down to misdemeanors.
Under Bragg, the percentage of felonies downgraded has increased to 60 – up from 53 percent under his predecessor.
Bragg’s team defended the figures stating the office’s performance is on par with other New York boroughs and higher when it comes to felony convictions.
Bragg, who campaigned on a promise of criminal justice reform, issued a controversial ‘Day One’ memo after taking office stating he would only seek prison time in the most severe cases.
It comes amid fury over criminals being allowed to roam the streets of the Big Apple, which continues to be rocked by a violent crime wave.
O’Donnell referenced a 1995 op-ed written in the Harvard Crimson that called Bragg – then a student and a leader in the Harvard Black Students Association – ‘the anointed one’
Of the 938 felonies downgraded in 2023, 834 were reduced down to misdemeanor charges
Since being sworn in on January 1, 2022, the DA has also declined to prosecute 14 percent of all arrests, compared to just nine percent in 2021 when his predecessor was last in post.
However, overall arrests screened by his office was up by more than a third compared to 2021.
But this will be of little comfort to victims of the most serious crimes, with the data showing that Bragg’s office has secured a felony conviction just 52 percent of the time, down from 65 percent in 2021.
Bragg has been criticized for his soft-on-crime policies, which include calling on prosecutors to ditch felony armed robbery charges and instead charge suspects with petit larceny and not seeking carceral sentences for criminals.
Crime in New York City, has decreased by .032 percent since before the pandemic, but the decrease is not enough for many who feel unsafe in Manhattan.
MAGA operatives have accused Bragg of having a political agenda.
‘Alvin Bragg is a disgrace. He cares more about targeting Joe Biden’s political opponent than protecting New Yorkers from rapists, murderers, and robbers.’ Alex Pfeiffer, spokesman for Make America Great Again Inc said.
Meanwhile victims of crime have also expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of justice.
Bragg, who campaigned on a promise of criminal justice reform, said he would only seek prison sentences for the most serious crimes
The progressive DA was sworn in on January 1, 2022, but has come under criticism for his ‘soft on crime’ approach
A spokesman for the DA’s Office said Manhattan is leading the citywide decrease in crime, highlighting a 38 percent decrease in homicides and a 24 percent decrease in shootings during DA Bragg’s first two years in office.
‘Manhattan’s felony conviction rate is higher than the other four boroughs, and our felony decline to prosecute rate is lower than the citywide average,’ he said.
‘We are getting results from our comprehensive crime strategy that includes more gun prosecutions, focusing on drivers of violent crime and making investments that prevent crime and build strong neighborhoods.’