Amid the heated political climate of a legal battle, concerns have surfaced regarding the political neutrality of Manhattan prosecutor Matthew Colangelo.
Matthew Colangelo, paid for political consulting by the Democratic National Committee, is a lead prosecutor in former President Donald Trump’s New York trial over hush money payments.
According to Western Journal, Colangelo received $12,000 from the DNC on January 31, 2018. This was during his tenure as deputy attorney general for social justice in New York under Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Schneiderman later resigned in May 2018 following allegations of sexual assault.
After Schneiderman's resignation, Barbara Underwood succeeded him. During her tenure, she and Colangelo pursued legal action against the Trump Foundation.
Colangelo's career trajectory led him to serve as acting associate attorney general in the Biden administration, starting with President Joe Biden’s inauguration. In December 2022, he joined Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office.
By March 2023, Bragg's office, with Colangelo now onboard, charged Trump with 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records to hide payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, both of whom alleged affairs with Trump. The trial began in Manhattan two weeks before this report.
This connection between Colangelo’s political consulting work for the DNC and his role in the Trump trial has raised eyebrows and questions about potential political bias.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan expressed his concerns about the fairness of the trial. He criticized the motivation behind the prosecution:
Since last year, popularly elected prosecutors — who campaigned for office on the promise of prosecuting President Trump — engaged in an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority.
Colangelo stated in the trial that Michael Cohen, a key witness and former Trump attorney, “lied about it to protect his boss.”
Michael Cohen, formerly an attorney for Trump and now a convicted felon, plays a significant role as a witness in the proceedings. His involvement is pivotal, given his past association with Trump and subsequent legal troubles.
Jim Jordan further scrutinized Colangelo’s intent behind his investigative pursuits against Trump, suggesting a political motive overlaid with legal proceedings. He elaborated on his suspicions in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland:
Given the perception that the Biden DOJ is assisting in Bragg’s politicized prosecution, the Committee is seeking to further understand the scope of Colangelo’s employment and his obsession with investigating President Trump.
The ongoing trial has legal and substantial political ramifications, intersecting with significant national debates about the accountability and impartiality of public officials.
The controversy surrounding Matthew Colangelo’s involvement in the trial points to broader concerns about the intersection of politics and law enforcement. The trial's unfolding events will likely further these discussions, emphasizing the delicate balance between legal accountability and political influence.
