America First Legal (AFL) has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice (DOJ) for failing to release records pertaining to former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The records in question involve Matthew Colangelo, who was recruited by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in December 2022. The lawsuit alleges that Colangelo was hired to help "jump-start" the investigation into Trump, a move that AFL alleged was driven by Colangelo's "history of taking on Donald J. Trump and his family business."
The AFL's lawsuit, filed on Monday, detailed Colangelo's positions at both the DOJ and the New York Attorney General’s office, noting that both institutions had “competing investigations” related to Trump. Colangelo transitioned from his senior role at the DOJ to join Bragg's team shortly before Trump was indicted.
"It is not every day that the number three ranking DOJ official — the Acting Associate Attorney General — leaves his post to join a district attorney’s office. Yet, that is exactly what Mr. Colangelo did," AFL claimed in a statement. “This calculated move reeks of partisanship."
According to Fox News, AFL Executive Director Gene Hamilton explained that AFL initially filed a FOIA request in 2023 to obtain Colangelo’s calendars and records discussing Trump, aiming to uncover the reasons behind his switch from the DOJ to the Manhattan DA’s office.
The DOJ responded to the FOIA request, acknowledging it but requesting an additional 10 days to process it due to "unusual circumstances." AFL then agreed to “exclude publicly available news article compilations, provided they were not commented on by department personnel." However, according to the lawsuit, the DOJ failed to release any documents.
"We're going to get those records, and we are going to obtain everything from his calendar entries to communications, for everything in between, to show and to help shed a light on this coordinated effort to get Donald Trump, that is unprecedented and has never been done before," Hamilton said to Fox News. "Because none of these records are public, and because this is a key central figure involved in the political persecution of Donald Trump, we think it's vital and critical that we get records."
In a parallel effort, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan sent a letter last month to New York Attorney General Letitia James, demanding documents related to Colangelo.
"Mr. Colangelo's recent employment history demonstrates his obsession with investigating a person rather than prosecuting a crime," Jordan said in his letter.
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