Representative Adriano Espaillat, Community Leaders Hold Press Conference in Solidarity with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg

NEW YORK, NY – Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and community leaders stood in solidarity with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's ongoing lawful investigation and potential indictment of former President Trump and speak out against the Republican-backed racist and hate-based rhetoric targeting D.A. Bragg and his family.

"Alvin Bragg is a thoughtful, smart and principled attorney who operates with the utmost integrity. He doesn’t make legal decisions based on politics – he makes them based on the facts and the law," said Rep. Espaillat. "He did not bow to political pressure last year – and he will not bow to the Republican led pressure today. We do not know what will happen with investigations in other jurisdictions, but we do know that New York City stands in solidarity with Alvin Bragg, a son of Harlem, and we will not be intimidated by Republican tactics, threats, racist and hate-based rhetoric. No one is above the law and justice will prevail."

The following elected officials and community leaders joined Rep. Espaillat in support of today's event: NYS Senator Cordell Cleare; NYS Senator Robert Jackson; NYS Assemblymember Al Taylor; NYS Assemblymember Inez E. Dickens; NYS Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs; NYS Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia; NYS Assemblymember Manny De Los Santos; NYS Assemblymember George Alvarez; NYC Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala; NYC Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa; NYC Councilmember Shaun Abreu; NYC Councilmember Julie Menin; NYC Councilmember Pierina Sanchez; NYC Councilmember Oswald Feliz; NYC Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan; Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine; Manhattan Deputy Borough President, Keisha Sutton-James; the Honorable C. Virginia Fields; Lloyd A. Williams, CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce; Iesha Sekou, CEO and Founder Street Corner Resources; District Leader Hilda Solomon; District Leader Maria Luna; District Leader Wilma Brown; NYC First Deputy Public Advocate Nick Smith; Stephanie McGraw, Founder and CEO W.A.R.M; and Vy Higginsen Founder and Executive Director, Mama Foundation for the Arts.

# # #

Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.