The facts here are straightforward, and they stink to high heaven.
The Center to Advance Security in America filed a lawsuit Wednesday demanding the Justice Department hand over records about Matthew Colangelo’s highly suspicious transition from the Biden DOJ to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office in December 2022. The timing, as they say, is everything.
Let’s be clear about who Matthew Colangelo is. He was the third highest-ranking official at the Biden Justice Department. Before that, he was a DNC operative and Obama donor. In late 2022, he left his cushy federal position to join Bragg’s office for one specific purpose: to prosecute Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
This is not speculation. Bragg’s office explicitly stated that Colangelo was brought in to help “jump start” the Trump prosecution. A top Biden DOJ official leaves the federal government to prosecute the president’s chief political rival in a state case. If you cannot see the problem here, you are willfully blind.
CASA filed a Freedom of Information Act request in May 2024 seeking communications and records from January 2021 through December 2022 related to Colangelo’s resignation. The request specifically noted the obvious conflict of interest presented by a Biden administration official joining a prosecution of Trump during a presidential election cycle.
The DOJ acknowledged receipt of the FOIA request. They indicated the records required additional searches and consultations. They requested an extension beyond the standard timeframe. Fine. Bureaucracy moves slowly. Except here is where it gets interesting.
Over 526 days have now elapsed since the federal government received CASA’s request. The DOJ has produced exactly zero documents. They have not communicated what they intend to produce or withhold. They have not provided any justification for withholding records. They have not informed CASA of any appeal rights.
This is not how government transparency works. This is how cover-ups work.
The statute is clear. The DOJ has obligations under FOIA. They are not meeting those obligations. The question is why.
CASA Director James Fitzpatrick stated the obvious: “The American people deserve to know if there were any politically charged discussions at the Biden DOJ involving Colangelo’s hiring.” Indeed they do.
The lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to order the DOJ to produce all non-exempt responsive records within ten days, along with an index justifying any withholdings. CASA is also seeking reasonable attorney’s fees and litigation costs.
This should not require a lawsuit. If there were nothing improper about Colangelo’s move from the Biden DOJ to Bragg’s office, the records would show that. The DOJ could release them and put the matter to rest. Their refusal to do so after 526 days speaks volumes.
The coordination between federal and state prosecutors to target Trump has been one of the most troubling developments in American legal history. The appearance of impropriety is overwhelming. The actual impropriety may be worse.
A top Biden Justice Department official does not simply wake up one morning and decide to take a pay cut to join a local prosecutor’s office unless something else is going on. The American people have a right to know what that something else is.
The DOJ’s stonewalling suggests they have something to hide. CASA’s lawsuit may finally force them to reveal it.
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