(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Attorney General Merrick Garland has refused to provide communications between the Justice Department and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, New York AG Letitia James and Fulton County DA Fani Willis about their cases against former President Donald Trump.
Garland’s refusal came Tuesday at a congressional hearing, in response to questions from Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. GOP legislators have been calling for communications between the DOJ and local Trump prosecutors since they started charging the presidential frontrunner last year.
According to Republicans, there is reason to believe that the DOJ has been the leader of the coordinated political attacks on Trump. Namely, Republicans have alleged that one of the DOJ’s top ranking officials, Matthew Colangelo, transferred to aid the Manhattan DA’s office specifically to help coordinate a federal effort against Trump.
Garland has called such accusations unfounded conspiracy theories, but Gaetz noted Tuesday that he’s fueling conspiracies by not being transparent about the matter.
🚨 COVER UP?
Merrick Garland refuses to say whether his office is coordinating with Alvin Bragg, Fani Willis, and Letitia James.
What is he hiding?
📺 : @RepMattGaetz pic.twitter.com/pdh2fcIP0y
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) June 4, 2024
“You come in here and lodge this attack that it’s a conspiracy theory that there’s a coordinated lawfare effort against Trump. And we say, ‘Fine, then just give us the documents, and if it’s a conspiracy theory that will be evident,’” Gaetz said.
“But when you say, ‘Well, we’ll take your request and work it through the DOJ’s accommodations process,’ you’re actually advancing the very dangerous conspiracy theory you’re worried about.”
The lawyers prosecuting Trump have resisted public transparency at every turn.
For example, Willis has called congressional oversight of her case “illegitimate” and “disgusting.”
Willis’s case against Trump was derailed earlier this year after it was revealed she had been involved in an improper romantic relationship with the prosecutor she assigned to the case and likely was embezzling taxpayer money for lavish vacation trips that she and her lover, lead prosecutor Nathan Wade, would then write off as business expenses.
The Court of Appeals for the state of Georgia has agreed to consider whether Willis should be disqualified from the case as a result.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
