Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who has come under fire for his memo to prosecutors telling them to seek prison time only for those charged with serious crimes, has reached out to crisis pro Risa Heller.
The New York Post also reported that Bragg has reached out to his former boss, US attorney Preet Bharara, about dealing with the wave of criticism over his directive to downgrade some felonies, such as commercial armed robberies.
Bragg, who took office on Jan. 1, received flak from NYPD commissioner Keechange Sewell who claimed to be very concerned over his agenda.
Bragg and Sewell held a meeting to iron things out and they promised to conduct more “collaborative discussions.”
Heller, who runs Risa Heller Communications, was communications director for New York Senator Chuck Schumer and ex-Governor David Paterson.
The Post editorialized on Jan. 18 that Bragg wouldn't need crisis PR help if he just focused on doing his job rather than pursuing "a let-’em-loose approach to law enforcement."