Editor’s note: This story has been clarified to reflect that Soros representatives claim no funds were channeled directly to Bragg’s campaign, and to correct the name of Color of Change PAC.
Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton criticized Manhattan’s new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, after his office released a memo stating that it would stop prosecuting many criminal offenses.
“The DA is effectively handcuffing the police,” Bratton said Friday of District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who took over from Cy Vance on Jan. 1. Bragg announced just two days after taking office that he would no longer prosecute certain low-level offenses and misdemeanors unless they were accompanied by a more serious charge.
Bratton also attributed Bragg’s election to a $1 million donation in mid-May from billionaire George Soros to Color of Change PAC, co-founded by CNN commentator Van Jones, according to public filings. Color of Change endorsed Bragg in the DA race, and pledged $1 million to support his election, according to a May 8 press release.
In a letter to the DCNF, Alex Navarro-McKay, a representative for Soros-sponsored Justice & Public Safety PAC, said “None of the funds referred to were funneled to Bragg. Color of Change PAC expended funds as an independent expenditure supporting Bragg.”
Soros has poured millions into district attorney races all over the country, including in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, and others, according to numerous sources.
“If you look at every city in America that has violent crime increases and disorder increases … what is the one common denominator?” Bratton asked. “District attorneys, almost all of whom are funded phenomenally by George Soros … [Soros] has effectively destroyed the criminal justice system in America.”
Bragg’s policies vary from those of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who also took office Jan. 1 and campaigned on promises of safer streets and effective policing, The New York Times reported. Adams said Sunday that he and Bragg should settle their differences behind closed doors rather than letting them play out in the media.
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