Legal Group Files FEC Complaint on DA Bragg, Biden Campaign

America First Legal, whose president, Stephen Miller, is a former senior adviser in the Trump administration, filed a complaint Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission accusing Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and President Joe Biden's reelection campaign of election interference.

Bragg obtained an indictment of former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for November's election, on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover a payment made by disbarred former attorney Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels. A New York jury on May 30 found Trump guilty on all counts and he will be sentenced July 11.

Trump has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and claims his prosecution was politically motivated by President Joe Biden's Department of Justice to hurt his chances of regaining the White House.

"To influence the 2024 election, Biden and his allies have pursued lawfare to physically remove former President Trump from the campaign trail, drain his resources, harm his reputation, and potentially disqualify him from the ballot," the complaint reads.

The complaint states that because evidence supports a conclusion that Bragg's prosecution was coordinated with Biden and made to influence the 2024 presidential election, it is a "coordinated expenditure" under the Federal Election Campaign Act, resulting in an in-kind contribution by Bragg to Biden and Biden's campaign. Under FECA and FEC regulations, Bragg contributed in excess of the $3,300 per-election individual contribution limit.

The complaint also stated that Matthew Colangelo resigned the No. 3 post at Biden's DOJ — acting associate attorney general — to join as the lead prosecutor in the case against Trump. The complaint said Colangelo made three separate donations to Bragg's campaign for the district attorney's office — a big part of Bragg's campaign was his vow to prosecute Trump.

The complaint said to obtain a guilty verdict, Bragg's office "contorted the law in an unprecedented manner in their quest to snare their prey." It said Bragg violated a Supreme Court doctrine known as "primary jurisdiction doctrine," which states that a court should stay or dismiss a claim when it implicates issues within the special competence of a federal administrative agency.

In Trump's case, the FEC found that Trump did not violate the Federal Election Campaign Act.

"Bragg's prosecution has physically removed Trump from the campaign trail, drained his resources, harmed his reputation among voters, and potentially disqualified him from the ballot in certain jurisdictions," the complaint stated.

America First Legal is asking the FEC to investigate its allegations; declare that Bragg and Biden's campaign arm, Biden for President, have violated the FECA and applicable FEC regulations; and order Biden for President to correct these violations by filing public reports identifying the coordinated expenditures relating to Bragg's prosecution of Trump. The group also requests the FEC to impose sanctions, including possible referral to the DOJ for criminal prosecution.

"Questions from the media and Congress, coupled with the demonstrable evidence of influence from the DOJ, the Manhattan DA's office, and Bragg's financial supporters who later influenced the Biden Administration, creates a substantially likely risk of coordination between President Biden and Bragg," Dan Epstein, America First Legal’s vice president, said in a news release.

"With the lawfare before the FEC against candidate and former President Donald Trump, it is important that the FEC take a hard look at the relationship between President Biden, his administration, and his political committees and the New York County DA's Office's political prosecution of the former President during a campaign year."

In an email to Newsmax, an FEC spokesperson wrote, "We cannot comment on potential complaints that may be filed with the agency."

Newsmax also reached out to the Biden campaign and Bragg's office for comment.