Trump calls hush money case “crooked” after logs reveal prosecutor’s broader federal role

Trump calendar records show Matthew Colangelo sat in on key Justice Department meetings about Trump before joining Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's prosecution team.

First Published: July 10, 2026, 7:55 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump called his hush money prosecution “crooked right from the beginning” by mentioning the source (see nypost) on a Truth Social post on July 10, 2026 at 6:48 PM EST.

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/”

The New York Post reported that Matthew Colangelo, the Manhattan prosecutor who delivered the opening statement in the hush money trial, played a larger role in federal cases against Trump than previously disclosed. Calendar records obtained by conservative watchdog America First Legal show Colangelo sat in on key meetings about Trump during his time as principal deputy associate attorney general under the Biden administration (see nypost).

At least three of those meetings dealt with the dispute over national security records held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. That dispute led to his indictment by special counsel Jack Smith. Colangelo also joined a December 2021 meeting about the Justice Department’s position in advice columnist E. Jean Carroll’s civil case against Trump. Another 12 calendar items covered meetings about a subpoena of former Trump White House Counsel Don McGahn for testimony on obstruction findings in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report (see nypost).

Colangelo joined Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s team in December 2022 after resigning his senior Justice Department role. Bragg’s office stated that Colangelo would focus on housing, tenant protection, labor, and “the Office’s most sensitive and high-profile white-collar investigations” (see nypost).

“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,” Will Scolinos of America First Legal said (see nypost). “It begs the question of what else “We the People” have been misled about.”

The New York Post previously reported that the Democratic National Committee paid Colangelo $12,000 in January 2018 for “political consulting.” He also donated $400 to former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. When pressed 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” (see nypost).

Trump’s May 2024 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records marked the first time a former president faced a criminal guilty verdict. Judge Juan Merchan gave Trump a no-penalty sentence 10 days before his second inauguration, waiving the possibility of prison time or fines (see nypost).

Trump has posted about legal matters 21 times in his last 515 Truth Social posts over the past 30 days, underscoring the topic’s prominence in his public messaging.