Chairman Jordan Demands Documents about Bragg Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo from Letitia James

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) sent a letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James demanding documents about New York County District Attorney (DANY) Alvin Bragg's lead prosecutor Matthew Colangelo as the Committee continues its investigation into politicized prosecutions.

Given the perception that the Biden DOJ is assisting in District Attorney Bragg's prosecution, Chairman Jordan has requested communications and documents related to Colangelo's previous employment at the New York Attorney General's Office, where he worked several anti-Trump investigations. The fact that a former senior Biden DOJ official—whose previous employment consisted of leading "a wave of state litigation against Trump administration policies"—is now leading the prosecution of President Biden's chief political rival only adds to the perception that the Biden DOJ is politicized and weaponized.

Yesterday, May 15, 2024, at 10:00 am ET the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government held a hearing to examine the weaponization of the rule of law. 

Excerpts of the letter to New York AG Letitia James:

"Mr. Colangelo's recent employment history demonstrates his obsession with investigating a person rather than prosecuting a crime. At the New York Attorney General's Office, Mr. Colangelo—who, for some time, held the title of Chief Counsel for Federal Initiatives—ran investigations into President Trump, leading 'a wave of state litigation against Trump administration policies.' On January 20, 2021, the first day of the Biden Administration, Mr. Colangelo began serving as the Acting Associate Attorney General—the number three official at the Justice Department. Upon the confirmation of Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, Mr. Colangelo then served as the Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General. In December 2022, District Attorney Bragg 'beefed up [his] office' by hiring Mr. Colangelo to fill the void left by the departure of politicized line prosecutors Mark Pomerantz and Carey Dunne. District Attorney Bragg hired Mr. Colangelo to 'jump-start' his office's investigation of President Trump, reportedly due to Mr. Colangelo's 'history of taking on Donald J. Trump and his family business.' Mr. Colangelo is now a lead prosecutor in President Trump’s trial.

"District Attorney Bragg's prosecution concerns federal subject matter that is identical to a matter that the Justice Department closed in 2018, raising concerns that a state-level prosecutor is seeking to relitigate an issue on which the federal government previously declined prosecution. In addition, Bragg's prosecution relies heavily on the testimony of his star witness, Michael Cohen, a convicted felon with a demonstrable bias against President Trump. Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in 2018. In 2019, when he testified before the Democrat-led House Committee on Oversight and Reform in a hearing orchestrated by a longtime Democrat activist to aid their fruitless investigation into President Trump, Cohen lied again—six times. In the years since, Cohen has been vocal about his deeply personal animus toward President Trump.

"District Attorney Bragg's politicized prosecution of President Trump has serious consequences for federal interests. The fact that a former senior Biden Justice Department official—whose previous employment consisted of leading 'a wave of state litigation against Trump administration policies'—is now leading the prosecution of President Biden’s chief political rival only adds to the perception that the Biden Justice Department is politicized and weaponized."

Read the full letter to New York AG Letitia James here.

Read the full letter to AG Garland here.

Read the full letter to Matthew Colangelo here.

Read the full letter to Alvin Bragg here.
 

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