Who is Alvin Bragg? District attorney who prosecuted Trump says he was just doing his job

NEW YORK (AP) — When Alvin Bragg took office as Manhattan district attorney in 2022, he stunned the public and his own staff by pausing an investigation into former President Donald Trump that appeared to be hurtling toward an indictment.

Two top prosecutors were so upset with the decision, they quit. One called Bragg’s hesitation to bring a case against Trump “a grave failure of justice.”

Now, Bragg has cemented his place in history as the first prosecutor to win a criminal conviction of a former U.S. president.

Speaking after the verdict Thursday, Bragg summed up his role by saying, simply, “I did my job.”

“Our job is to follow the facts and the law without fear or favor, and that’s exactly what we did here,” he told reporters.

Trump and his supporters insist Bragg, a Democrat, had a vendetta against the former president and presumptive Republican nominee. He has relentlessly accused Bragg of manufacturing a baseless case for political reasons.

Here’s a look at Bragg’s background, his time in office and his history regarding Trump.

A child of Harlem

Bragg, 50, grew up in Harlem when New York City struggled with high crime. He once had a knife held to his throat and has talked about being held at gunpoint six times while growing up, including three times by police officers.

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