This can be filed under “Not surprising.”
A new report claims that the Democratic National Committee paid Matthew Colangelo – who worked for the Biden Justice Department and is now Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s top prosecutor – thousands of dollars in 2018 for “political consultation”.
Fox News Digital reports that “Colangelo was hired by Bragg in December 2022, after Mark Pomerantz resigned and Carey Dunne resigned. Both were prosecutors investigating Trump who resigned out of protest at Bragg’s initial refusal to indict him.” “Colangelo left his senior position at the Biden Department of Justice to join Bragg’s team.” Bragg then brought charges against former President Trump in April 2023. This raised questions in the GOP over the alleged politicization of the case.
House Republicans are investigating Colangelo’s past work and his prosecution of Trump.
Fox News Digital reviewed records from the Federal Election Commission and found that DNC Services Corp/Democratic National Committee had paid Colangelo two times on January 31, 2018. Colangelo received two payments totaling $6,000 for a total amount of $12,000.
The “description” of the payment for political consulting is “Political Consultancy.”
Fox News Digital’s comment request was not immediately answered by either the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office or the DNC.
Colangelo assumed Bragg’s role as deputy attorney general in the office of then-New York Attorney Eric Schneiderman. Bragg was at the time appointed chief deputy attorney general.
Schneiderman resigned as New York Attorney General in May 2018, amid sexual assault allegations. Barbara Underwood succeeded him as New York Attorney General.
Fox News Digital reports that in June 2018, just a few months after Colangelo was paid by the DNC, Underwood, who held the position of executive assistant attorney general at the time, filed a lawsuit against the Trump Foundation. The lawsuit claimed that Trump used charitable funds from the foundation to settle legal debts. Colangelo continued to work at the New York Attorney General’s Office after Underwood’s tenure ended. Letitia was then appointed. He was involved in investigations and lawsuits related to Trump.
He joined the Biden Administration on January 20, 2021, and assumed the role of acting associate attorney-general in the Justice Department. He then became principal deputy assistant attorney general and was responsible for various departments, including the Civil, Civil Rights Antitrust, and Tax Divisions. Colangelo joined the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in December 2022. He has also worked for the Obama administration.
Do you find any of these kosher?
The House Judiciary Committee led by Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is demanding that Attorney General Merrick Garland hand over documents related to Colangelo’s employment at the Justice Department, as the committee conducts “oversight” of politically motivated prosecutions brought by state and local officials.
Bragg accused Trump of 34 counts of falsifying records in the first degree.
Trump has pleaded guilty to none of the charges.
The charge of falsifying records is usually a misdemeanor. However, Bragg, Colangelo, and the New York prosecutors have to convince the jury that Trump falsified the records to commit “another criminal.”
As part of its investigation into politically motivated prosecutions against Trump by local and state authorities, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R – Ohio) has now called on Attorney General Merrick Garland for records about Colangelo’s tenure at the Justice Department.
