Karen Friedman Agnifilo is joining CNN as an on-air legal analyst, the network said Tuesday, just hours before President Donald Trump‘s arraignment in lower Manhattan court.
She has been presenting legal analyses on both CNN and MSNBC during this indictment period, and it seems her insightful takes have won CNN executives over.
Friedman Agnifilo, who also hosts the podcast Legal AF produced by MeidasTouch, has a deep legal resume that includes previously working as chief assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office under Cyrus Vance Jr. In that capacity, she oversaw an office of approximately 500 lawyers and managed all aspects of the Office’s work, including cases, policy, and personnel, and was the acting district attorney when DA Vance was out of the jurisdiction.
In 2010 she left her position as general counsel to the New York City Mayor’s criminal justice coordinator and rejoined the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as executive ADA and chief of the trial division. In that role, she managed multi-agency criminal justice policy initiatives and projects and helped shape New York City’s criminal justice legislative and policy agendas. Agnifilo previously served for 14 years as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, including four years as deputy chief of the Sex Crimes Unit.
She also served in the Homicide Investigation Unit, the Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau, and the Asian Gang Unit.
CNN, under Chris Licht, had trimmed down its analyst roster, intending to give more time to its reporters covering the news. In this instance, Friedman Agnifilo was too good to pass up.
She will make her debut as a contributor Tuesday afternoon during special coverage of the arraignment.