House Judiciary expands investigation into Trump indictment with new request for testimony
Cami Mondeaux
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Republican leaders on the House Judiciary Committee are expanding their investigation into the criminal indictment of former President Donald Trump, with lawmakers requesting testimony and documents from the senior counsel to the New York County District Attorney’s Office.
Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) issued the request to Senior Counsel Matthew Colangelo on Friday afternoon, requesting access to all documents related to District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s decision to indict Trump on criminal charges earlier this week. Republicans are targeting Colangelo for his involvement in multiple investigations into Trump, claiming he was hired to help “jump start” Bragg’s prosecution of the former president.
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“According to news reports, District Attorney Alvin Bragg hired you … due to your ‘history of taking on Donald J. Trump and his family business,’” Jordan wrote. “Given your history of working for law-enforcement entities that are pursuing President Trump and the public reporting surrounding your decision to work for the New York County District Attorney’s Office, we request your cooperation with our oversight in your personal capacity.”
Bragg appointed Colangelo as senior counsel in December and tasked him with overseeing the office’s most high-profile white-collar crimes and investigations. Before that, Colangelo served as a senior official in the Department of Justice for the Biden administration.
Colangelo was hired shortly after a slew of resignations into the District Attorney’s Office, including from Mark Pomerantz, who left due to frustrations that Bragg was reluctant to push forward with an investigation into Trump’s finances. Jordan cited Pomerantz’s departure as possible evidence that Colangelo was hired for political reasons.
“Pomerantz left the Office — very publicly — because its investigation into President Trump was not proceeding fast enough for his liking,” Jordan wrote. “The circumstances and chain of events that led to your hiring by the New York County District Attorney’s Office could therefore shed substantial light on the underlying motives for that Office’s investigation into and indictment of President Trump.”
The request for Colangelo’s testimony comes one day after Jordan subpoenaed Pomerantz for his testimony and any documents related to his involvement in the investigation into Trump’s finances and his alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. Pomerantz led that inquiry before his resignation late last year.
Jordan similarly requested documents and internal communications from Colangelo, specifically asking for information between June 22, 2021, to December 5, 2022 — before he officially joined the district attorney’s office. The letter asks for any information detailing his “potential” duties or “motivation for or interest in hiring you.”
The letter also seeks access to any documents and communications between Colangelo and any other office employee that mentions Trump or anyone associated with him. Jordan requested the information be turned over to the committee by April 21.
The request builds on the House Judiciary Committee’s efforts to investigate Trump’s indictment as the former president faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. The indictment was unsealed during a court appearance on Tuesday, marking the first time a former president faces criminal charges.
In the court documents, Bragg accused Trump of orchestrating a “catch and kill” scheme during the 2016 presidential cycle to identify negative stories about him and pay large sums of money to bury them from public view. After making such payments, Trump is accused of hiding such conduct by making “dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.”
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In one instance, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen wired $130,000 to an attorney to be transferred to Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged sexual affair. Cohen later pleaded guilty to the illegal campaign contribution charge in 2018.
At the time of Cohen’s trial, federal prosecutors did not press charges against Trump due to guidance from the Justice Department that a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime. However, prosecutors revived discussions about charges shortly before Trump left office in 2021. The federal government did not ultimately charge Trump.