Matthew Colangelo, the Manhattan prosecutor who led the recent "hush money" case against former President Donald Trump, played a more significant role in federal investigations concerning Trump during his tenure at the Justice Department than previously disclosed, according to calendar records. Colangelo was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Colangelo joined Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s team in December 2022, stepping down from his position as principal deputy associate attorney general. Prior to that, he served as acting associate attorney general, the third-highest role within the Biden Justice Department.
Calendar records obtained by the conservative watchdog America First Legal and shared with The Post indicate that Colangelo attended at least three meetings pertaining to the dispute over national security records at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, which ultimately led to his indictment by special counsel Jack Smith. He also participated in a December 2021 meeting concerning the Justice Department's stance in the civil case brought by advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of sexual abuse and defamation.
Further calendar entries show Colangelo was involved in 12 meetings related to a subpoena issued for former Trump White House Counsel Don McGahn. These meetings focused on obstruction of justice findings detailed in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on alleged collusion between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.
"These records show that the man who delivered the opening statement prosecuting President Trump while working in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office was more involved in Trump-related litigation preparation at DOJ than the American people were led to believe," stated Will Scolinos of America First Legal. "It begs the question of what else 'We the People' have been misled about."
Previous reports indicated that the Democratic National Committee paid Colangelo $12,000 in January 2018 for "political consulting." Federal Election Commission filings also show he donated $400 to former President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign.
Trump’s May 2024 conviction marked the first time a former U.S. president had been found guilty of criminal charges. Judge Juan Merchan ultimately sentenced Trump to a no-penalty sentence shortly before his second inauguration, waiving the possibility of prison time or fines.
When questioned about Colangelo's move to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland testified under oath that he "had nothing to do with it." Garland told House lawmakers in 2024, "I assume he applied for a job there and got the job."
Bragg’s office had previously stated that Colangelo would concentrate on housing and tenant protection, labor and worker protection, and the office's most sensitive white-collar investigations.