Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida on Tuesday called the claim that the Biden administration’s Justice Department led to the conviction of former President Donald Trump a “conspiracy theory” but blasted Attorney General Merrick Garland for refusing to say whether he would turn over communications between the Justice Department and prosecutors.
In his opening statement at the House Judiciary Committee hearing, Garland denounced “baseless” attacks on the Justice Department’s work, particularly the “false allegations” that it was involved in Trump’s Manhattan affair, which ended last week when a jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. Gaetz pressed Garland on whether the Justice Department would turn over communications between Bragg’s office, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and New York Attorney General Letitia James, suggesting that Garland was making the evidence of conspiracy appear stronger by not answering questions.
“You say the allegation that the Department of Justice is in contact with state and local prosecutors against Trump is a dangerous conspiracy theory,” he said. “Please tell us the full story now. Will the Department of Justice provide the committee with all communications between the Department of Justice and Alvin Bragg’s office, Fani Wiri’s office, and Letitia James’ office?”
“We don’t control those offices,” Garland said. (Related: There are plenty of reasons why Trump’s conviction should be overturned, but the appeals courts aren’t so friendly.)
Former Deputy Attorney General Matthew Colangelo joined the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in December 2022, while Bragg was still investigating Trump. Colangelo previously worked in the New York District Attorney’s Office on the Trump Foundation investigation and what became Trump’s civil fraud case.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, Colangelo received thousands of dollars in “political consulting” fees from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in 2018.
Gaetz responded that he was simply asking whether the Justice Department had been in contact with those offices.
“You come in here and attack this as a conspiracy theory that there is a coordinated legal battle against Trump, and when we say, ‘OK, give us your documents and your correspondence and we’ll reveal whether it’s a conspiracy theory,’ and you say, ‘Well, we’ll grant your request and we’ll process it through the Department of Justice coordination process,’ you’re actually promoting the very dangerous conspiracy theory that you are concerned about,” Gaetz told Garland.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan request documents relating to coordination between the Justice Department and the Manhattan firm of Alvin Bragg, including those related to Colangelo’s hiring in April;
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Gaetz also asked whether Garland had made any political contributions as a judge. Judge Juan Marchand, who presided over Trump’s Manhattan trial, said: Donated In 2020, he donated $15 to President Joe Biden’s campaign.
Mr. Marchan’s daughter also runs a political consulting firm with Democratic clients including California Rep. Adam Schiff. Mr. Trump’s lawyers have asked Mr. Marchan to recuse himself from the case, but he has refused.
“Instead of picking a judge from the donor file of a political opponent, shouldn’t we be giving someone something like a jury of their peers and an unbiased judge?” Gaetz asked.
“I fully understand that you are not speaking hypothetically, but are asking to comment on jury verdicts in other jurisdictions that should be respected,” Garland said. “I’m not going to comment on that.”
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