A conservative nonprofit group has filed a lawsuit alleging that the Department of Justice failed to disclose records requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for Matthew Colangelo, a key figure in former President Trump’s criminal trial in New York.
In a lawsuit filed Monday, America First Legal (AFL) alleges that New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the lead prosecution of Trump, hired Matthew Colangelo in December 2022 to “accelerate” the investigation into Trump, reportedly because Colangelo has a “history of attacking Donald J. Trump and his family-owned businesses.”
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Lead prosecutor Matthew Colangelo served at the Justice Department before moving to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. (Fox News Digital | U.S. Department of Justice)
The lawsuit alleges that Colangelo previously held senior positions at the Department of Justice and the New York State Attorney General’s office, “where both offices were conducting competing investigations related to Mr. Trump.” Colangelo left his senior position at the Department of Justice a few months before the indictment of former President Trump to join Bragg’s investigation into Trump.
“It’s not every day that an assistant attorney general, the number three person in the Department of Justice, leaves his job to be assigned to a district attorney’s office, but that’s exactly what Mr. Colangelo has done,” the AFL said in a news release. “This calculated move reeks of partisanship.”
AFL Executive Director Gene Hamilton said in an interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the organization filed a freedom of information request in 2023 to obtain Colangelo’s schedule and records of discussions with Trump to understand his transfer from the Justice Department to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
Former Justice Department official currently prosecuting Trump once received “political consulting” fees from the Democratic National Committee.
Former President Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York City on May 30, 2024, after being convicted of 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records. (Felipe Ramares for Fox News Digital)
“We’re going to get those records, get his calendar entries to his communications and everything in between, to help expose and uncover this coordinated effort to get at Donald Trump. This is unprecedented, it’s never been done before,” Hamilton said. “None of these records have been made public, and this is an individual who was a key player in the political persecution of Donald Trump, so we think it’s crucial and crucial that we get the records.”
According to the complaint, after AFL’s initial FOIA request, the company received an email from the Department of Justice acknowledging the request, but asking for an additional 10 days to process the request due to “unusual circumstances.” On August 28, 2023, AFL responded to the email, agreeing to “exclude editorialization of publicly available news articles unless Department officials have commented.”
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Former President Trump sits in court at a criminal trial in New York City on May 21, 2024. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool AFP via Getty Images)
The lawsuit alleges that the Justice Department failed to disclose any of the documents.
The AFL isn’t the only one interested in obtaining Colangelo’s records. Last month, Republican Rep. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan They have sent a letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James demanding that she turn over Colangelo’s documents.
“Mr. Colangelo’s recent employment history demonstrates that he is more interested in investigating people than in prosecuting crimes,” Jordan wrote in his letter to James.
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Colangelo has a long history in government, having served in a variety of legal roles since the Obama administration, Fox News Digital previously reported. Biden’s two years at the Justice DepartmentAs Deputy Attorney General, his responsibilities included oversight of the antitrust, civil, civil rights, environment and natural resources, and tax divisions.
The Justice Department did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by deadline.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
