Trump hush money prosecutor tied to more federal cases, logs show
Trump calendar records obtained by America First Legal show Matthew Colangelo joined key Justice Department meetings on the Mar-a-Lago documents and other Trump matters before leading the Manhattan case.
WASHINGTON D.C. — LEDE Donald Trump has amplified a report alleging the prosecutor who led his hush money case played a bigger role in federal cases against him than previously known, by mentioning the source (see nypost) on a Truth Social post on July 10, 2026 at 7:48 PM ET.
The report rests on calendar logs obtained by conservative watchdog America First Legal (see nypost). It centers on Matthew Colangelo, who joined Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s team in December 2022 after resigning as principal deputy associate attorney general at the Biden Justice Department. Colangelo delivered the opening statement in the case that convicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The records show he sat in on key meetings about the once and future president.
“This was crooked right from the beginning!” Trump wrote, sharing the article headline with his followers.
VERBATIM Here is the full post on truthsocial: “This was crooked right from the beginning! Trump hush money prosecutor played larger role in federal cases against prez than known, logs show: https://nypost.com/2026/07/10/us-news/trump-hush-money-prosecutor-played-larger-role-in-federal-cases-against-prez-than-known-logs-show/”
NARRATIVE At least three of the meetings related to the dispute over national security records held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, the matter that led to his indictment by special counsel Jack Smith (see nypost). Colangelo also joined a December 2021 meeting on the Justice Department’s position in advice columnist E. Jean Carroll’s civil case against Trump for sexual abuse and defamation. Another 12 items on his calendar dealt with a subpoena of former White House Counsel Don McGahn.
“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,” America First Legal’s Will Scolinos said in a statement (see nypost).
Defenders of Colangelo had tried to distance him from Trump-related work at the Justice Department. When pressed about the move to Bragg’s office, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland testified under oath in 2024 that he “had nothing to do with it.” Bragg’s team had said Colangelo would focus on housing, tenant protection and white-collar investigations.
The May 2024 conviction marked the first time a former U.S. president had faced a guilty verdict on criminal charges (see nypost). Judge Juan Merchan later gave Trump a no-penalty sentence 10 days before his second inauguration, waiving any prison time or fines. The post reflects a broader theme of alleged corruption in political and judicial systems that circulates widely online (see getcrookedmedia.com).
BUTTON Presidents clashing with prosecutors is not new to American politics. Richard Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox in the October 1973 “Saturday Night Massacre,” a move that accelerated impeachment proceedings and forced Nixon’s resignation in August 1974. The confrontation reshaped how presidents and independent prosecutors have circled one another ever since.
In the last 30 days, 24 of 505 Trump posts were on topic “Legal.”
Source: Zenger real-time database of all Truth Social posts.
Note: Chart generated on July 10, 2026 at 8:17 PM ET
Source: Zenger analysis
Note: Table generated by https://zenger.news on July 10, 2026 at 8:17 PM ET