Op-Ed: Rep. John Faso: The prosecutors who New Yorkers should be talking about
Former Rep. John Faso argues that while Alvin Bragg fails at his job, other prosecutors across New York should receive rave reviews.
As George Soros’s Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg continues to make national headlines for refusing to enforce our laws, it’s easy to forget that New York’s criminal justice system doesn’t begin and end in Manhattan. Across the state, prosecutors are quietly doing the hard work of keeping their communities safe, and two of them — Orange County DA David Hoovler and Nassau County DA Anne Donnelly — deserve our support now more than ever.
While Bragg’s office has become synonymous with leniency and political grandstanding, Hoovler and Donnelly represent the opposite approach. They stand with victims and law enforcement, and they understand that their job is to enforce the law and ensure justice for those who break it.
In Orange County, District Attorney David Hoovler has reduced overall crime by more than 39 percent since 2013, leading more than 2,100 drug indictments and 626 illegal gun prosecutions. A former police detective and U.S. Department of Justice trial attorney, Hoovler combines real-world law enforcement experience with a results-driven approach that protects victims and keeps violent offenders off the streets.
His record has earned the endorsement of nearly every major law enforcement organization in the Hudson Valley, from the Police Chiefs’ Association and the Fraternal Order of Police to firefighters, labor unions, and the Hudson Valley Building & Construction Trades Council. Chiefs across the county praise his leadership for equipping police with the tools, technology, and training needed to investigate crimes effectively while standing firm on accountability and justice.
In Nassau County, District Attorney Anne Donnelly has brought more than three decades of prosecutorial experience to the office. Before her election in 2021, she spent 32 years at the Nassau County DA’s Office, serving as Deputy Bureau Chief of both the Organized Crime & Rackets Bureau and the Economic Crimes Bureau. Early in her tenure, she created the Firearms Suppression & Intelligence Unit, which targets illegal guns and those who traffic or supply them.
Donnelly has made it a priority to protect suburban neighborhoods too often overlooked in broader criminal justice debates. Whether combating gang violence, retail theft rings, or sophisticated drug trafficking operations, she has built strong law enforcement partnerships and delivered on the promise of safe streets, accountability for offenders, and prosecutors who stand with law enforcement.
These two district attorneys embody what New York once proudly stood for, which is the simple belief that enforcing our laws should never be controversial and that when justice is applied fairly, our communities grow stronger. That’s the New York way we need to return to.
Since leaving Congress, I’ve joined Protecting Americans Action Fund (PAAF), an organization committed to electing prosecutors who uphold the rule of law. We are proud to stand with District Attorney David Hoovler and District Attorney Anne Donnelly, two proven leaders who have earned our trust and deserve to be re-elected this November.
John J. Faso formerly served in the U.S. Congress and the New York State legislature.