GOP AG launches new probe into communications from DOJ and Trump prosecutors
FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump looks back at journalists after welcoming Mongolian President Battulga Khaltmaa to the White House July 31, 2019 in Washington, DC.
A Republican state attorney general is probing the Biden Justice Department for documents related to any communications with prosecutors connected to the indictments of former President Donald Trump.
In a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed Thursday, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey asked the DOJ to hand over "activity and/or communications between Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith or Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis related to the investigation or prosecution" of the former president.
"The investigations and subsequent prosecutions of former President Donald J. Trump appear to have been conducted in coordination with the United States Department of Justice," Bailey alleges, adding that he believes that allegation is demonstrated in part by the move of the third-highest ranking DOJ official, Matthew Colangelo, to the Manhattan DA's office to help prosecute the criminal case, N.Y. v. Trump.
That unprecedented criminal trial of the former president and presumptive GOP nominee for the 2024 presidential election entered its 14th day of witness testimony on Thursday.
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In addition, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg worked alongside New York Attorney General Letitia James in pursuing civil litigation against Trump, using that experience as a springboard from which to campaign for his current position, Bailey notes.
"During that campaign, Bragg promised ‘if elected, [he] would go after Trump.’ Once he won election, he pledged ‘to personally focus on the high-profile probe into former President Donald Trump’s business practices,’" Bailey states.
Bailey argues that Bragg’s decision to bring the prosecution "despite its transparent weakness has nonetheless had the effect of keeping former President Trump off the campaign trail, which President Biden has bragged about."
He cites a post on X from the official Biden-Harris campaign on April 24, which says, "While Trump is stuck in court, President Biden is keeping a very robust schedule of campaign events. He’s been to Pennsylvania to talk about the economy, Virginia to talk about clean energy, and Florida to talk about abortion."
"Given the timing (Bragg charged Trump only after Trump declared his candidacy for President), the transparent weakness of the charges, and the effect the charges have in keeping Trump off the campaign trail, there is substantial reason to suspect the Biden administration has coordinated with Bragg and others to bring prosecutions against Trump," Bailey claims.
Bailey asked for all communications including documents, calendar appointments, meeting minutes and agendas related to Colangelo’s move to Bragg’s office. He also asked for all similar communications between DOJ and the offices of Bragg, New York Attorney General Leticia James and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
The Department of Justice declined to comment.