The GOP-led House Judiciary panel held a hearing Monday in New York City to examine “how Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's pro-crime, anti-victim policies have led to an increase in violent crime,” and one of the witnesses – a mother whose son was murdered in 2018 – pulled no punches when addressing what she views as the Democrat Party's failures, as the Daily Mail notes.

According to Madeline Brame, whose Army veteran son, Hason Correa, was stabbed to death on the street by assailants he did not know, Bragg's soft-on-crime policies are to blame not just for the lack of justice in her family's case, but also for the suffering of countless victims throughout the jurisdiction he oversees.

Johnson's provocation

'Brame's hearing testimony offered insight in the ordeal she and her family faced after Correa's death and the way in which what she referred to as a “strong, trial ready” murder case was downgraded and neglected by prosecutors once Bragg took office.

Democrat Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04), however, was apparently not swayed by Brame's story or that of any other of the day's witnesses, declaring, as Fox News noted, turning his attention instead to Republicans and what he contended was a hidden agenda to punish Bragg for prosecuting former President Donald Trump.

“If Republicans really wanted to stop violent crime, they would be in D.C. right now working with Democrats to pass common sense gun legislation. Instead, like jackbooted thugs, they've descended on New York City, using violent crime as their pretext,” Johnson said.

The lawmaker from Georgia continued, “The MAGA Republican extremists are not interested in gun violence, or even knife violence. The Republican witnesses who have used their time to criticize District Attorney Bragg have served as props in a MAGA Broadway production.”

“This is a charade”

Casting further aspersions on the Republicans' motivation for holding the hearing was Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10), who told Brame, “Your experiences are devastating, but the problem is this is a charade to cover up for an abuse of power that they are going around talking incessantly outside of this hearing about Donald Trump. The purpose of this hearing is to cover up for what they know to be an inappropriate investigation.”

That remark prompted Brame to request an opportunity to respond, which Goldman denied by saying, “Not right now, I only have 20 seconds, I'm sorry,” a reply eliciting a sharp reaction from the grieving mother.

“Don't insult my intelligence! You're trying to insult me like I'm not aware of what's going on. I'm fully aware of what's going on here! That's why I walked away from the plantation of the Democratic Party!” Brame stated.

Noting that the only panel members raising the issue of Trump were Democrats, Brame added, “victims can care less about anyone's political ideology or party. Neither do criminals. They don't roll up to a person and ask them if they're a Democrat or a Republican before they bust them in the head, or before they push them in front of the train, or before they stab them to death.”

Nadler joins in

Lending his voice to the chorus of Democrats who claimed on Monday that the hearing was not designed to focus on victims, but rather to retaliate against Bragg, was Democrat Jerry Nadler (NY-12), whose take sparked mockery from many in attendance, as the New York Post noted.

During his opening statement, Nadler asserted, “Let me be very clear: We are here today in Lower Manhattan for one reason and one reason only – the chairman is doing the bidding of Donald Trump.”

“It is shameful that the Republicans of this committee would use the pretext of violent crime as an excuse to play tourist in New York and bully the district attorney, Nadler said, to a crowd that included former bodega clerk Jose Alba, whose brutal beating by a would-be robber was caught on tape and whose arrest for murdering his assailant in self-defense caused national outrage against Bragg.

Nadler's statements yielded laughter and heckling from incredulous hearing attendees on more than one occasion, forcing panel chair Jim Jordan to remind them that “the gallery should refrain from commenting.”

Searing indictments

Having emerged as the standout witness from Monday's hearing, Brame made an evening appearance on Fox News' Hannity to summarize her impressions of the proceeding, and in doing so, she held little back. When asked about Johnson's claim that she was a Republican prop, Brame said, “I would challenge this gentleman, whatever his name is – Hank Johnson – to pay a visit to one of the New York enclaves afflicted with violent crime.

“Step one foot in the hood and tell me if those people there in that hood are props as well,” Brame implored Johnson, who – like her – is Black, though she specified that he is a “rich Black man.”

Addressing the injustice she feels occurred in her son's case, Brame added, “Real people are affected by this, Alvin Bragg dismissed both murder and gang assault indictments against two people. One is currently walking the street amongst us...[t]hey brutally ambushed and butchered my son to death nine times and then turned and butchered his father 12 times when he tried to come to his aid.”

During a Tuesday appearance with Fox News' Bill Hemmer, Brame explained that she has undergone a political transformation over the past few years, going from “a 40-year loyal Democrat” to someone who believes that the party “has done nothing but help our community self-decimate from the inside out,” and it seems likely that the treatment she and others received Monday at the hands of Judiciary Democrats will do little to change her mind.