Justice Department prosecutor in Trump cases made significant donations to Biden and Democrats.
An Ex-Prosecutor Working with Special Counsel on Trump Investigations Donated to Democrats
An ex-top New York City prosecutor working with Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith on investigations related to former President Donald Trump has given large donations to campaigns for top Democrats, including President Joe Biden, records show.
David Rody is one of several veteran attorneys helping to advise Smith, who has overseen two indictments against Trump related to the former president’s alleged efforts to challenge the 2020 election and his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in 2021, as well as his mishandling of classified documents.
Concerns Over Partisanship
Rody, who in 2022 left his role as a partner at the major law firm Sidley Austin to join the DOJ as a senior counsel in the criminal division, gave $5,600 to Biden’s 2020 campaign and almost $7,000 to other Democratic causes from 2018 to 2022, according to campaign finance disclosures.
“Jack Smith and his gang of henchmen are dishonest, partisan hacks acting as enforcers for Joe Biden and the Democrat Party,” Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for Make America Great Again Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC, told the Washington Examiner.
The contributions, which have not been reported on until now, are likely to result in Republicans raising further concerns over the alleged partisan nature of inquiries related to the former president. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL) notably took to X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier this week to demand answers after a Washington Examiner report revealed United States District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who was assigned to the Trump election-related case, contributed roughly $4,300 to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and victory fund combined between 2008 and 2012.
Rody, who previously led investigations related to bribery, fraud, obstruction of justice, and other federal crimes, used to be head of the Violent Crimes unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. In June, he also steered $1,000 to the campaign for Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), who was lead counsel in the first impeachment inquiry against Trump, disclosures show.
He also gave $500 in 2019 to the failed-presidential campaign for now-Vice President Kamala Harris and $2,250 combined to Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-NJ) presidential and Senate reelection campaigns, according to disclosures.
Request for Extension
On Saturday afternoon, lawyers for Trump requested Chutkan grant the team a three-day extension to respond to a DOJ protective order that would block the former president from sharing details of evidence in connection to the Jan. 6 case. The order was prompted after Trump issued a post on Truth Social Friday that read, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU.”
Trump was on Thursday arraigned in Washington, D.C., on four federal charges, including one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, one count of obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and one count of conspiracy against rights. He was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in the nation’s capital.
“It’s no surprise that several of his prosecutors are Biden donors,” Leavitt added, referring to Smith. Karen Gilbert, one of the lead attorneys also on the special counsel team, is a Biden and Obama donor, records show. Some Republicans have also pointed out that Smith’s wife donated to Biden.
The Justice Department’s Special Counsel office did not return a request for comment.
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