“We have to fight back against a rogue prosecutor who is trying to take a presidential candidate off the campaign trail,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said. “It sabotages Missourians’ right to a free and fair election.”
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has confirmed that his office is planning to file a lawsuit against the state of New York for election interference, claiming that its recent prosecution of Donald Trump was a politically-motivated stunt intended to tank the former president’s chances on the 2024 ballot.
Bailey, a Republican, said that the complaint will be filed “against the State of New York” for its “direct attack on our democratic process through unconstitutional lawfare against President Trump.”
“We have to fight back against a rogue prosecutor who is trying to take a presidential candidate off the campaign trail,” Bailey said. “It sabotages Missourians’ right to a free and fair election.”
The lawsuit, writes The Guardian, is expected to constitute but one front in a larger series of actions against New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Both of the prosecutors were responsible for filing claims against Trump that ultimately resulted in adverse judgments.
In his complaint, Bailey appears to re-hash arguments common among Trump supporters and right-wing conspiracy theorists—saying that the allegations against Trump were exaggerated, and filed for the sole and specific purpose of influencing the outcome of the 2024 general election.
“The investigations and subsequent prosecutions of former President Donald J. Trump appear to have been conducted in coordination with the United States Department of Justice,” Bailey wrote, observing that one of the highest-ranking officials within the federal agency—Matthew Colangelo—was transferred to the Manhattan D.A.’s office to assist prosecutors in New York v. Trump.
Bailey also maintains that Bragg clearly leveraged charges against Trump for personal political gain, using experience in James’s office as a springboard into his current position as Manhattan’s D.A.
“During [the campaign for Manhattan District Attorney], Bragg promised ‘if he elected, [he] would go after Trump,’” Bailey said. “Once he won [the] election, he pledged ‘to personally focus on the high-profile probe into former President Donald Trump’s business practices.’”
Bailey claims that, in his capacity as district attorney, Bragg filed charges long after the applicable statutes of limitations for the falsification of business records had expired—and failed to do his due diligence in specifying “intent to commit another crime,” like election interference, that would have made the charges actionable.
“Given the timing, the transparent weakness of the charges, and the effect the charges have in keeping Trump off the campaign trail, there is substantial reason to suspect the Biden administration has coordinated with Bragg and others to bring prosecutions against Trump,” Bailey said.
Sources
Missouri AG plans to file lawsuit against New York after Trump conviction
Missouri attorney general to sue New York over Trump prosecutions
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