Fox News Digital has uncovered that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) paid Matthew Colangelo, a top prosecutor in the criminal trial of former President Trump, $12,000 for "political consulting" in 2018. Colangelo's involvement in the case has raised questions about the impartiality of the prosecution.
Fox News Digital has exclusively learned that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) paid thousands of dollars to Matthew Colangelo, a key prosecutor in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump, for "political consulting" in 2018. The payments raise questions about the impartiality of the persecution.
Colangelo, a senior counsel in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, delivered opening statements in the unprecedented trial. He joined District Attorney Alvin Bragg's team in December 2022 after the resignations of two prosecutors who had been investigating Trump.
According to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by Fox News Digital, DNC Services Corp/Democratic National Committee paid Colangelo twice on January 31, 2018. He received two payments of $6,000, for a total of $12,000. The "description" for the purpose of payment is labeled "Political Consulting."
Neither the Manhattan District Attorney's Office nor the DNC responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
At the time of the payments, Colangelo was serving in then-New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office as the deputy attorney general for social justice. Schneiderman resigned in May 2018 amid allegations of sexual assault.
Just months after Colangelo received the payments from the DNC, he joined New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Foundation, alleging that Trump used the foundation's assets to pay off his legal obligations. The Trump Foundation ultimately agreed to dissolve in December 2018.
Colangelo continued working in the New York Attorney General's Office after Underwood's tenure, and under the leadership of current Attorney General Letitia James. He worked on Trump lawsuits and investigations.
On January 20, 2021, Colangelo began serving as acting associate attorney general in the Biden Justice Department. He later became the principal deputy associate attorney general, overseeing multiple departments.
In December 2022, Colangelo joined the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
House Republicans are investigating Colangelo's past work as he prosecutes Trump. The House Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is demanding records related to Colangelo's employment at the Justice Department.
Bragg has charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all counts. The trial is ongoing.
The revelation of the DNC payments to Colangelo has raised concerns about the integrity of the prosecution. Some GOP members allege that Bragg has politicized the case and that Colangelo's previous work with the DNC may have influenced the charging decision.
