New York City Councilman Robert Holden, a Democrat, chose to testify before the House Judiciary Committee's field hearing in Manhattan because he fears his city is returning to its old ways, and he does not want to see that happening, he told Newsmax.
"I've lived through the bad old days of New York City, and I don't want to go back there," Holden told "National Report." "We're headed in that direction. We're headed to a decreased quality of life."
Crime is "everywhere" in the city, he added.
"People do as they please, drive as they want, go through red lights, and ride on the sidewalk with their motorcycles and electric vehicles: It's mayhem in New York City now," Holden lamented.
The Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, traveled to New York Monday, where they heard testimonies from crime victims who spoke out against crime rates that they said are growing under Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor behind the 34 felony counts charged against former President Donald Trump.
However, Holden, insisted the hearing was not about Trump, even though many of the Democrats on the committee kept mentioning him.
"We weren't there for that," Holden said. "I don't care about Donald Trump. I care about my constituents, my city, and our quality of life."
He added he has been on the New York City Council's Public Safety Committee for over 5 years, and Monday's hearing was the first to focus on the victims of crimes.
"We always have hearings on criminals and their rights," Holden said. "You never hear from the victims, and this is the first time. I agreed to go to this congressional hearing because I wanted to say things about victims and what's happening to our city."
Meanwhile, Holden said he does not think matters will change under Bragg.
"I have no faith in Alvin Bragg," he told Newsmax. "When he first took over last year he said that he wasn't going to prosecute minor crimes like resisting arrest. Are you kidding? Trespassing, fare evasion, prostitution – I mean, the list goes on. Knifepoint robbery was even downgraded. Commercial and some residential burglaries he wasn't going to prosecute. What kind of DA is that?"
And even when Bragg does prosecute suspects, "he loses half his cases," Holden said. "That's miserable."
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Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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