The Democratic National Committee paid Trump prosecutor Matthew Colangelo thousands of dollars for “political consulting” in 2018, leading to questions about potential politicization of the case against former President Trump. Colangelo, who delivered opening statements in the criminal trial of Trump, joined Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office in December 2022 after previous prosecutors investigating Trump resigned in protest of Bragg’s initial unwillingness to indict the former president. Colangelo left a senior role at the Biden Justice Department to join Bragg’s team, raising concerns among House Republicans, who are investigating Colangelo and his past work as he prosecutes Trump.
Federal Election Commission records show that the DNC paid Colangelo $12,000 in two payments on Jan. 31, 2018, while he was serving as the deputy attorney general for social justice in then-New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office. After Schneiderman resigned amid sexual assault allegations, Colangelo continued working under Barbara Underwood as executive deputy attorney general. In June 2018, he filed a lawsuit against the Trump Foundation, accusing Trump of using charitable assets to pay legal obligations. The Trump Foundation ultimately dissolved in December 2018.
Colangelo remained in the New York Attorney General’s Office under Letitia James, working on Trump-related lawsuits and investigations before joining the Biden Justice Department on Jan. 20, 2021. He served as acting associate attorney general and later as Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General, overseeing multiple departments. Colangelo then joined Bragg’s office in December 2022 to prosecute Trump. Prior to his work in New York and the Biden Justice Department, Colangelo served in various roles in the Obama administration, including in the civil rights division and as chief of staff to then-Labor Secretary Tom Perez.
The House Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Jim Jordan, is conducting oversight of politically motivated prosecutions by state and local officials and has demanded records related to Colangelo’s employment at the Justice Department. Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, alleging that Trump allegedly falsified those records in furtherance of another crime, which prosecutors claim was in violation of New York State law to prevent or promote election. Coupling the alleged falsification of business records with the alleged prevention or promotion of election turns the charge into a felony crime. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts in the case.
The case against Trump has raised concerns of political motivations influencing the prosecution. House Republicans are investigating Colangelo’s past work and connections, including his ties to the DNC and previous roles in the Obama administration. The involvement of Colangelo in the prosecution of Trump, along with the resignations of previous prosecutors over disagreements with Bragg’s initial approach, has fueled speculation about potential bias and politicization of the case. The ongoing investigation and legal proceedings surrounding the charges against Trump are closely monitored by both political parties and the public for transparency and accountability.
