Justice Department denies collusion with Bragg’s office in Trump prosecution in new letter

The Justice Department is rejecting allegations that it colluded with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in the prosecution of former President Trump, writing in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee that the allegations are “conspiracy speculation.” and “completely unfounded.”
Deputy Attorney General Carlos Uriarte sent the letter, which was obtained by Fox News, to committee Chairman Jim Jordan on Monday night, less than two weeks after a jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of forgery. commercial records in the first degree.
“The Committee has demanded information from the Department due to what you describe as a ‘perception that the Department of Justice is’ behind the so-called ‘politicized prosecution’ of the District Attorney and a ‘perception that the Biden Department of Justice is politicized and armed’ to that end,” Uriarte wrote in response to an April 30 letter Jordan sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“The Department generally does not make great efforts to refute conspiratorial speculation, or even to avoid the risk of giving it credibility,” Uriarte added. “However, consistent with the Attorney General’s commitment to transparency, the Department has taken extraordinary steps to confirm what was already clear: there is no basis for these false claims.”
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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks to the media after a jury found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. (AP/Seth Wenig)
Jordan had written in April that “New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg is involved in one such politicized prosecution, which is led in part by Matthew B. Colangelo, a former top Justice Department official.”
“Bragg hired Mr. Colangelo to ‘boost’ his office’s investigation into President Trump, allegedly because of Mr. Colangelo’s ‘history of confrontation with Donald J. Trump and his family business.'” “Mr. Colangelo is now the lead prosecutor in President Trump’s trial,” Jordan said at the time, requesting certain communications from Colangelo and other Justice Department officials.
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Republican presidential candidate former US President Donald Trump attends his criminal trial at the New York State Supreme Court in New York, New York, on Wednesday, May 29. (Doug Mills/Pool via REUTERS)
But Uriarte said the Justice Department conducted an “exhaustive search of email communications from Jan. 20, 2021, through the date of the verdict, among any Department leadership officials, including all political appointees in those offices.” , and the District Attorney’s office regarding any investigation or prosecution of the former President,” including through Colangelo’s email account, and “I found none.”
“This is not surprising,” Uriarte told Jordan. “The District Attorney’s office is a separate entity from the Department. The Department does not supervise the work of the District Attorney’s office, does not approve its charging decisions, and does not prosecute its cases. The Department has no control over the District Attorney . just as the District Attorney has no control over the Department.
Uriarte also said that the self-justifying “perception” asserted by the Committee is completely unfounded” and that “accusations of irregularities made without evidence, and in fact contrary to it, undermine confidence in the justice system and have contributed to increased threats “. of violence and attacks against career law enforcement officials and prosecutors.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Department of Justice, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
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“Our extraordinary efforts to respond to their speculation should put an end to this speculation,” he said.
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