Alvin Bragg Blasted in Republican Convention Speech Amid Uproar of Boos

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was loudly booed during a speech by an anti-crime advocate at the Republican National Convention (RNC) Tuesday night.

The jeering arrived during a speech by Madeline Brame, who spoke about the death of her son, Army Sergeant Hason Correa, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Brame has been vocal about her disdain for Bragg’s handling of her son’s murder case. In 2018, Correa was stabbed to death in Harlem at the age of 35.

Brame said during her speech Tuesday that “assailants responsible for his death initially were facing justice, but that changed when District Attorney Alvin Bragg was elected.”

Four people were charged in Correa’s slaying—Christopher Saunders, James Saunders, Mary Saunders and Travis Stewart, according to the New York Post. Christopher and James Saunders were each sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of gang assault. Stewart was convicted of the same charge and sentenced to seven years, while Mary Saunders served 14 months in prison and was released in May 2022.

The crowd at the RNC broke out into loud boos after Bragg’s name was mentioned. Bragg has been repeatedly targeted by supporters of Donald Trump for leading the hush money case against the former president in which Trump was convicted of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records.

The Context

Tuesday marked the second day of the RNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and featured speeches from several notable Republicans, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. The theme of Tuesday’s session was “Make America Safe Again,” focusing on immigration and crime.

The convention arrived in the wake of an assassination attempt against Trump at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The former president’s right ear was grazed in the shooting but he has attended both sessions of the RNC, sporting a large white bandage over his wound.

Trump was officially nominated as the GOP 2024 presidential pick on Monday. He also announced his vice president selection, Ohio Senator JD Vance.

The former president on May 30 was convicted in Manhattan over hush money paid to adult-film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels testified that she was paid $130,000 to stay quiet about an extramarital affair she had with Trump in 2006. Trump denies ever having sexual relations with Daniels. The former president was found guilty of falsifying business records to conceal the payment.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts in the case brought by Bragg and claims that the charges were a form of “election interference.” The former president’s allies have also accused Bragg of acting in favor of President Joe Biden’s reelection efforts.

What We Know

Brame said during her speech Tuesday that Bragg’s office offered lighter plea deals to the four people charged in her son’s death shortly after the district attorney took office in January 2022. She also accused the district attorney of wanting to “clean the jails and return violent felons onto our streets every day.”

“The Democratic Party that poor minorities have been loyal to for decades, including myself, they betrayed us,” Brame added. “Joe Biden and [Vice President] Kamala Harris, who claim to represent us, have abandoned us.”

Brame went on to praise Trump’s values, saying that the former president has “been a victim of the same corrupt system that I have been in.”

“Trump was right when he said, ‘They’re after us.’ He’s just standing in the way,” Brame added, which was met with roaring applause from the crowd. “And guess what, he always will.”

Newsweek reached out to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office via email late Tuesday night for comment.

Views

Joan Greve, senior U.S. political reporter for The Guardian, on Tuesday night said the mention of Bragg’s name received “the loudest boo of the night so far.”

“The speaker is discussing criminal justice policies in New York, but I suspect the crowd is angry about something else,” Greve added in a post to X, formerly Twitter.

Some users also praised Brame’s speech, including New York Assemblyman Michael Novakhov, who said that Brame had “one of the best speeches tonight.”

“Madeline’s story is powerful,” Novakhov added. “Soft on crime DA’s like Alvin Bragg have failed our country and failed Madeline’s son. We stand with our police. We back the blue. And Madeline, we stand with you and will fight every day for your son’s memory.”

Turning Point Action, advocacy arm of conservative political action committee Turning Point USA, shared a clip of Brame’s speech to X, writing, “Alvin Bragg is despicable for what he’s done to this family. Our heart breaks for this mother’s brave son.”

Former Illinois Representative Bill Mitchell, who has endorsed Trump for president, also reacted to Brame’s speech, posting to X: “This mom is wrecking Alvin Bragg. My heart breaks for her.”

What’s Next

Trump’s sentencing in the hush money case has been delayed until September, following a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court pertaining to presidential immunity. Trump has challenged his guilty verdict, arguing that some of the evidence against him should not have been used at trial because they were covered by immunity.

Update 07/17/24, 12:02 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.