After Daniel Penny not-guilty verdict, calls mount for DA Alvin Bragg to ‘resign in shame’
Calls for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to be booted from office intensified over the controversial prosecutor’s decision to take Daniel Penny to trial in Jordan Neely’s chokehold death — after the?jury’s bombshell not-guilty verdict?Monday.
Republican lawmakers slammed Bragg for taking on the case — claiming the borough’s top prosecutor had done so for political purposes — with one even urging the US Department of Justice to launch an investigation.
“You can’t do this to American heroes,”??Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy?said on Fox Business’ “Cavuto Coast to Coast,” adding he wanted the incoming Trump administration DOJ to probe??“civil rights abuses”?against Penny and “hold New York accountable.”?
“The fact that an American jury stood against the crazy, tyrannical lawlessness of the New York prosecutor’s office, and Alvin Bragg, and stood up and said that this man, this American hero, should be let free. God bless,” Roy said. “That means things are heading in the right direction.”
The Manhattan DA has long been the target of critics of his soft-on-crime reputation, including for his criminal case against President-elect Donald Trump, which resulted in his conviction on 34 felony charges. Bragg has also faced heat over his prosecution of bodega worker Jose Alba, whose fatal stabbing of a violent intruder was ultimately dismissed as self-defense.
“Alvin Bragg has failed in his responsibilities to enforce the law and keep New Yorkers safe. Sadly, he has engaged in political prosecutions on numerous cases, including President Trump, Daniel Penny and Jose Alba,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said in a statement Monday. “He should be removed from office immediately.”
Joining the calls was state Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R-Staten Island), who charged that Bragg “wasted taxpayer dollars” by filing charges against Penny.
“Penny was wrongfully accused and slandered to better serve the DA’s skewed agenda. New Yorkers stood up against the unlawfulness and dishonesty,” the lawmaker said. “If only Alvin Bragg actually did his job and protected New Yorkers the city would be a lot safer than it is today.”
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest updates on Daniel Penny’s not guilty verdict
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called Penny “a hero, not a villain,” and hailed the 12-member Manhattan jury for seeing through “all the political nonsense.”
City Councilman Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) said the case “underscores nothing other than the perverse sense of justice held by Alvin Bragg.”
“The district attorney should resign in shame.”
Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn) added a sarcastic note: “I’m sure that DA Alvin Bragg will be more than eager to prosecute anyone rioting in light of this verdict as swiftly and as harshly as he did to Daniel Penny.”
Bob Holden, a Queens Democratic council member, said that with “case after case,” Bragg “demonstrates contempt for reality and common sense — pursuing heroes like Daniel Penny while allowing criminals to roam our streets.”?
“For the sake of New Yorkers, the governor must remove him,” he said. “This cannot continue.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul previously faced calls from Republicans to remove the Democrat-elected DA from office,?including after a group of migrants?charged with beating cops in Times Square were initially?released without bail.
Her office did not return a request for comment Monday.
Bragg said in a statement after the verdict that prosecutors “followed the facts and the evidence in the case” and that he?accepted?the jury’s decision.
Speaking to reporters, Mayor Eric Adams denounced the mounting calls for Bragg to resign or to have Hochul remove him.
“No, she should not remove DA Bragg,” Adams said. “The people voted for the district attorney. We have a process and I am totally against using mechanisms to overstep the boundaries of the electeds.
“We’ve had a great partnership with the district attorney and some of the things we have done in the city and we look forward to doing that.”
