The presumption of innocence is the legal principle that every person accused of any crime is considered innocent until proven guilty.
Former President Donald Trump, who has been accused of covering up hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election, has been given a trial (scheduled to begin April 15) which will either prove his innocence or prove he is guilty of falsifying business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the election.
Instead of a trial, MAGA supporters, including U.S. Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY), who believe Trump is innocent, want New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) to fire the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, who brought the charges against Trump.
Speaking on Fox News prior to the trial, Tenney said of Hochul: “Why hasn’t she fired this guy? She could easily do that.” Tenney has accused Bragg of “attacking, going after innocent citizens or law abiding citizens in New York.”
Maria Bartiromo says she’s going to call Gov. Hochul’s office today to demand Alvin Bragg’s firing pic.twitter.com/Y043yTlD5d
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 10, 2024
Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo chimed in and, conflating the Trump charges with crime at large, addressed the Governor on camera: “Why, Governor Kathy Hochul, are you allowing recidivism, why are you not firing Alvin Bragg for allowing criminals to keep doing it over and over again.” Bartiromo promised to call Hochul’s office for an answer.
The New York Constitution Article VIII does appear to provide Hochul with a path to remove a District Attorney, stating: “The governor may remove any elective sheriff, county clerk, district attorney or register within the term for which he or she shall have been elected; but before so doing the governor shall give to such officer a copy of the charges against him or her and an opportunity of being heard in his or her defense.”.
Yet Article VIII also warns that Bragg might have been removed for not prosecuting Trump, as “any district attorney who shall fail faithfully to prosecute a person charged with the violation in his or her county of any provision of this article which may come to his or her knowledge, shall be removed from office by the governor, after due notice and an opportunity of being heard in his or her defense.”
Note: That’s former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who lost the 2022 gubernatorial race to incumbent Hochul, on the split screen with Tenney.