It’s hard to imagine any easier case for a prosecutor than one where the entire act is caught on camera and the perpetrator later confesses on social media. But Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg somehow still managed to bungle the case of a pro-life, conservative influencer who was brutally assaulted by a left-wing thug.

The influencer, Savannah Craven Antao, came forward this week in a social media post to share the infuriating news that she will not be receiving justice for the brutal crime she was subjected to in Manhattan in April. While peaceably conducting street interviews where she debated pro-abortion passersby, Craven Antao was punched in the face and left bloodied by one woman, Brianna Rivers, who objected to her words. The entire gruesome affair was captured on video by Craven Antao’s husband, and it went viral at the time. 

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Most good-hearted Americans, regardless of their views on abortion or general political inclination, saw this incident for what it was: an unacceptable, thuggish attack on a young woman who simply exercised her freedom of speech. But the left-wing, soft-on-crime office of Bragg apparently saw this brutal beating as either a minor infraction unworthy of serious attention or, worse, a sympathetic act it wanted to let slide. 

According to Craven Antao’s lawyers, Rivers was initially charged with second-degree assault, yet the charges were later downgraded to a misdemeanor and entrusted to a low-level attorney. After Bragg’s office failed to meet paperwork deadlines, the charges were reportedly dismissed in July. Prosecutors have publicly apologized to Craven Antao, with a spokesperson saying, “Every victim deserves their day in court, and our office has reached out to apologize to Ms. Craven Antao for the unacceptable error of missing the discovery deadline.”

But there’s no undoing the damage here. The brutal thug who assaulted Craven Antao, Brianna Rivers, has clearly learned nothing, as her public “apology” also victim-blamed Craven Antao and said she “rage-baited” her into getting violent. The only glimmer of hope for any real accountability here is that Craven Antao can still pursue Rivers for damages in civil court. 

Yet, more broadly, as Craven Antao’s lawyers point out, the message has been sent: You can punch a young woman in the face for her pro-life beliefs in Manhattan and get away with it. Whether it is rooted in incompetence or malice, it is simply unacceptable for Bragg’s office to have failed this monumentally in such an important case at such a fraught time in American politics.

“District Attorney Bragg’s shocking refusal to uphold justice only works to undermine confidence in the system, especially when our political climate has become as fraught as it is now,” said Christopher Ferrara, senior counsel at Thomas More Society. “Failing to prosecute these clear-cut charges sets a dangerous standard for how our society responds to violence against those engaging in democratic dialogue.”

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This is exactly right.

To their credit, Democratic Party officials have publicly disavowed political violence in the days since conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s horrifying assassination. But if those words mean anything, they need to hold accountable members of their own party, such as Bragg, who have failed to maintain their most basic commitments to free speech and the Constitution they swore to uphold. 

Brad Polumbo is an independent journalist and host of the Brad vs Everyone podcast.