It began Wednesday when Rachel Mitchell, the Republican county attorney for Maricopa County, Ariz., said at a news conference that she would not send the man, Raad Almansoori, back to New York to face murder charges.
The reason, she said, was that Alvin L. Bragg, Manhattan’s Democratic district attorney, could not be trusted to keep Mr. Almansoori behind bars.
Mr. Bragg, she said, is too lenient on “violent criminals.”The case was swiftly swept up into national politics, where both prosecutors have played major roles, prompting a volley of bitter cross-country exchanges.
In a radio interview Thursday, Ms. Mitchell criticized Mr. Bragg’s handling of a case involving seven migrants arrested in New York City and charged with assaulting two police officers in Times Square last month.
All seven are now in jail.
Persons:
Rachel Mitchell, Raad Almansoori, Alvin L, Bragg, Mitchell, Mr
Organizations:
Republican, Manhattan’s Democratic, Times
Locations:
Manhattan, Arizona, Maricopa County, Ariz, New York, New York City