House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is threatening to subpoena New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) in his quest to obtain information about a key prosecutor in the secret Manhattan trial of former President Trump.
On a letter to James Last month, Jordan demanded information about Matthew Colangelo, a former employee of hers who, in his current role at the Manhattan district attorney’s office, presented opening arguments at Trump’s trial in New York.
Jordan sent letters to all of Colangelo’s recent employers, a group that includes the Justice Department, James’ office and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).
In both roles in New York, Colangelo worked on teams of prosecutors who investigated Trump’s business dealings or his affiliated charity.
“Mr. Colangelo’s recent employment history demonstrates his obsession with investigating a person rather than prosecuting a crime,” Jordan wrote in May.
Tuesday’s letter requests the same set of documents regarding Colangelo’s employment, adding, however, that “the Committee is prepared to resort to the compulsory process to obtain compliance with our requests” if James fails to meet the 2 July.
James’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Colangelo is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on July 12 alongside Bragg.
Trump was due to be sentenced the day before, after being found guilty of each of 34 counts brought by prosecutors in connection with falsifying business records to conceal secret payments to an adult film star before the 2016 election.
It will be the first time Congress has heard from anyone responsible for the case against Trump.
The request to James asks for most of the documents during Colangelo’s time in his office, including all communications he had with anyone at the Trump Organization or any associated entities.
While working in the New York attorney general’s office, Colangelo was part of a team that sued Trump’s charitable organization in 2018, proving that it was misusing funds, which led to its dismantling.
And during the late Trump administration, he was involved in the office’s investigation into the Trump Organization itself. That investigation would later serve as the basis for James’ fraud prosecution, which this year resulted in a $450 million fine for Trump.
Colangelo left James’ office for a high-ranking position at the Justice Department, but returned to New York two years later to join Bragg’s team.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
