The Manhattan prosecutor who questioned Stormy Daniels about her alleged sexual encounter with former President Donald Trump has a history of giving money to Democrats, including donating to President Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. Susan Hoffinger contributed $500 to the Biden campaign and more than $900 to ActBlue during the 2020 election cycle. Hoffinger has been donating exclusively to Democrats since 2004, with her first contributions going to former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.
Fox News revealed Hoffinger’s political donations, which sparked controversy during Daniels’ testimony about her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. Daniels made salacious claims during the questioning, including that she spanked Trump with a magazine. Trump’s defense attorney called the testimony “prejudicial” and requested a mistrial, but Hoffinger argued that the claim was without basis, leading the judge to deny the defense’s request. Other prosecutors involved in the case against Trump, such as Matthew Colangelo, have also been found to have partisan backgrounds.
Colangelo, who joined Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office in 2022 as senior counsel in the Trump case, previously donated to former President Barack Obama and was paid political consulting fees by the Democratic National Committee in 2018. Colangelo was a high-ranking official in the Biden Justice Department before joining Bragg’s office. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan demanded records from Colangelo’s time at the Justice Department as part of an investigation.
Bragg’s office charged Trump in March with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to alleged hush money payments made to Daniels. Trump pleaded not guilty in the case, which has been marred by political connections of the prosecutors involved. The revelations of partisan backgrounds among the prosecutors have raised questions about the impartiality of the case and whether political motivations are influencing the legal proceedings. The controversial nature of the case has contributed to public scrutiny and calls for transparency in the investigation and prosecution of Trump.