A conservative legal group is pushing for a federal investigation into Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. and the Biden campaign, sparking a legal and political firestorm.
America First Legal requests the FEC to probe alleged election interference following Trump's conviction on criminal counts.
The Center Square reported that the conservative group has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging election interference by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. and the Biden campaign. This complaint comes in the wake of former President Donald Trump's conviction on 34 criminal counts, a verdict Trump claims was politically motivated.
The complaint filed on Wednesday asserts that Bragg's actions violated the Federal Election Campaign Act. America First Legal contends that there is substantial evidence of coordination between Bragg and the Biden administration. This coordination, they allege, was aimed at impacting Trump's chances in the 2024 presidential election.
Bragg, who gained political momentum with Trump's conviction, has long positioned himself as a formidable adversary to the former president. During his 2021 campaign for district attorney, Bragg touted his ability to prosecute Trump, calling the investigation the "most important, most high-profile case" against Trump’s alleged misconduct.
After assuming office, Bragg enlisted Matthew Colangelo, a former high-ranking official in Biden's Justice Department, to assist in the investigation. Colangelo had previously worked in the U.S. Department of Justice and the New York Attorney General's Office, both of which had ongoing investigations into Trump. America First Legal highlighted Colangelo's contributions to Bragg's DA campaign as further evidence of political coordination.
Bragg's charges against Trump focused on 34 counts of falsifying business records, linked to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. On May 30, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on all counts.
Trump, who is the GOP frontrunner for the 2024 presidential race, has consistently labeled the prosecution as a politically charged witch hunt orchestrated by the Biden administration. America First Legal's complaint underscores this narrative, alleging that the legal actions were intended to derail Trump's candidacy.
The complaint also points to Attorney General Merrick Garland's refusal to disclose communications between the Department of Justice and Bragg's office. This, along with the Biden campaign's immediate response following Trump's conviction, is cited as evidence of coordinated efforts to influence the election.
Dan Epstein, Vice President of America First Legal, emphasized the risks of such coordination in a statement:
Questions from the media and Congress, coupled with the demonstrable evidence of influence from the DOJ, the Manhattan DA's office, and Bragg's financial supporters who later influenced the Biden Administration, creates a substantially likely risk of coordination between President [Joe] Biden and Bragg.
America First Legal is urging the FEC to scrutinize the relationship between President Biden, his administration, and Bragg's office. The group insists that the timing and nature of the prosecution were strategically planned to harm Trump's 2024 campaign.
Bragg’s approach during his campaign and his subsequent actions have raised eyebrows. He consistently framed the Trump investigation as central to his campaign platform, appealing to Manhattan voters who heavily favored Biden in the 2020 election. Epstein said:
With the lawfare before the FEC against candidate and former President Donald Trump, it is important that the FEC take a hard look at the relationship between President Biden, his administration, and his political committees and the New York County DA's Office's political prosecution of the former President during a campaign year.
The outcome of the complaint by America First Legal might impact both the legal and political spheres significantly. If the FEC investigates, it could reveal potential coordination between Bragg and the Biden campaign, highlighting the challenges and conflicts in legal actions connected to political campaigns. As Trump pursues the presidency in 2024, his ongoing legal issues are expected to significantly influence the election narrative, capturing the attention of both his supporters and critics.
