House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has intensified the Republican focus on the trump hush money trial of former President Donald Trump, demanding documents related to the hiring of a key prosecutor in the case.
Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, is targeting Matthew Colangelo, currently an assistant district attorney leading the prosecution in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. In a letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James, Jordan accused Colangelo of being central to what he described as a “politicized prosecution” against Trump. This move comes as Trump faces charges in New York related to alleged hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The core of Jordan’s অভিযোগ centers on Colangelo’s background. Prior to joining Bragg’s office, Colangelo served as a high-ranking official in Attorney General James’ office and held senior positions within the Justice Department under President Joe Biden. Jordan’s letter highlights Colangelo’s history of involvement in legal actions against the Trump administration, including lawsuits that led to the closure of the Trump Foundation and a significant civil fraud case. This history, Jordan argues, demonstrates a prolonged “obsession with investigating a person rather than prosecuting a crime,” suggesting Colangelo’s focus is politically motivated rather than legally driven.
Specifically, Jordan points to Colangelo’s role as chief counsel in the New York Attorney General’s office, where he oversaw lawsuits against the Trump administration. He further notes Colangelo’s subsequent positions in the Biden administration’s Justice Department, including acting associate attorney general and principal deputy associate attorney general. For Jordan, Colangelo’s career trajectory, culminating in his leadership role in the trump hush money trial, is evidence of a politically motivated attack on President Biden’s chief political rival.
The timing and nature of Jordan’s demands are noteworthy. It is unusual for a House committee to intervene in a local prosecution while a trial is underway. Jordan’s previous attempts to obtain information from District Attorney Bragg have been criticized as overstepping federal authority and disregarding principles of federalism. However, these actions align with recent complaints from Trump himself, who has reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the level of support he perceives from his allies in Washington. This perceived lack of support has spurred a visible increase in Republican allies appearing at Trump’s Manhattan trial to demonstrate solidarity.
In his letter, Jordan requests a range of documents, including communications between Colangelo and various offices, including the New York and Fulton County, Georgia district attorneys’ offices, the Justice Department, the Democratic National Committee, and the Biden for President campaign. He is also seeking “[a]ll personnel files related to Mr. Colangelo’s hiring, employment, and termination at the New York Attorney General’s Office.”
District Attorney Bragg, a Democrat, has previously defended the hiring of Colangelo, which was announced in late 2022 as part of the team investigating Trump in the hush money case. Trump, however, has directly attacked Colangelo, asserting that the prosecution is orchestrated by the Biden administration to undermine his political ambitions. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to payments made by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, and has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the trump hush money trial.
While Trump is subject to a gag order limiting his public statements about witnesses and others involved in the case, his allies, like Jim Jordan, have increasingly taken on the role of publicly criticizing the prosecution. Bragg’s office has consistently denied that the indictment is politically motivated.
Beyond the New York case, Trump faces indictments in Fulton County, Georgia, and from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office, related to his actions following the 2020 presidential election. He has also pleaded not guilty in those cases. The scrutiny surrounding Colangelo and the trump hush money trial is likely to continue as the legal proceedings unfold and the political ramifications reverberate.
