Chris Christie clashes with Donna Brazile over violent crime: ‘I’m not going to defend this’
Former GOP Gov. Chris Christie challenged attempts to brand the Republican Party a hypocrite for violent crime during a debate on former DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile on Sunday’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.” .
A prominent topic during the segment included the likelihood of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicting former President Donald Trump. While Trump said he expected to be arrested on Tuesday, Bragg’s office has yet to comment on specifics.
Christie agreed with the Republican criticism that Bragg’s investigation was too partisan, leading Brazile to fire back in Bragg’s defense saying he is “just doing his job”. In contrast, she claimed Republicans were being hypocritical in insisting they were the tough on crime party.
Former GOP Governor Chris Christie debates former DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile on ABC’s “This Week.” (ABC)
“This is a party that keeps saying it’s for law and order when it suits them. But it doesn’t suit them when the crime is gun violence, when the crime is watching this country suffer from kind of violence, and crime at all levels,” Brazile said.
DA ALVIN BRAGG’S PROGRESSIVE CASE AGAINST TRUMP RESTS ON WITNESSES WITH ‘CREDIBILITY ISSUES’: ANDY MCCARTHY
“Look, I’m not going to defend this,” Christie shot back.
Although Brazile tried to push Christie away, the former governor continued to attack Bragg’s soft-on-crime approach.
“Let me tell you who doesn’t enforce law and order when it comes to gun violence. I go to New York every week. It’s a dangerous area to go to Manhattan because Alvin Bragg runs a gate rotating and does not pursue gun crime, does not pursue violent criminals and if it does, it lets them out within four hours of their arrest to commit other crimes. this argument because Alvin Bragg failed miserably. And all of a sudden he wants to crack down on Donald Trump?” Christie said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference after Steve Bannon, former adviser to former President Donald Trump, visited the New York District Attorney’s office to confront to charges on September 08, 2022 in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
According to data from the DA’s website, Bragg downgraded 52% of all felony cases to misdemeanors in 2022. This followed Bragg’s 2021 campaign for criminal justice reform, including changes to laws regarding cash bail for violent crimes.
LEGAL EXPERT TORCHES TRUMP’S POTENTIAL ARREST OF MANHATTAN DA: ‘BANANA REPUBLIC SORT OF STUFF’
Meanwhile, NYPD crime statistics showed that overall crime in New York increased by 27.6% in 2022. There was also a 13.2% increase in felony assaults, including rape , thefts and transit crimes. However, murders and crimes were reported to be down in 2022.
The DA’s website also reported that Bragg’s department declined to prosecute 35% more felony cases than in 2019.
Donald Trump said he expected to be arrested on Tuesday. (Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Legal experts have also attacked the idea of Bragg pressing charges against Donald Trump over his alleged silent money scandal involving porn star Stormy Daniels. Many noted that the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission declined to prosecute Trump for these crimes before Bragg.
foxnews
