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WASHINGTON, D.C. – America First Legal (AFL) has filed a new petition in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the New York County District Attorney’s Office (DA’s Office), renewing its legal fight to obtain unlawfully withheld records under New York’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL).
Last September, AFL filed a lawsuit against the DA’s Office requesting AFL’s records requests seeking records related to the politically motivated prosecution of President Trump in New York in People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump. AFL requested the following records:
Communications between D.A. Bragg’s Office and the Biden-Harris Campaign, the Democratic National Committee, Color of Change, and CREW. Documents and communications regarding campaign fundraising tied to the prosecution of President Trump. Documents and communications mentioning or relating to Alvin Bragg’s campaign, fundraising, or “Eliot” or “Spitzer” or “PAC.” Communications between D.A. Bragg’s Office and Judge Merchan’s daughter, Loren Merchan, or her political consulting firm, Authentic Campaigns. Calendars for Alvin Bragg and his top lieutenants.
This lawsuit follows AFL’s previous lawsuit on the same records requests. Although AFL and the DA’s Office agreed to remove one of the requests from that litigation, the DA’s Office never produced substantive documents. Instead, it invoked sweeping, bad-faith exemptions without explaining how they applied to any specific record. AFL’s remaining requests have faced the same obstruction, with the DA’s Office repeatedly issuing boilerplate letters every 30, 60, or 90 days—continuously pushing further deadlines without providing any meaningful responses.
For over a year now, Bragg’s office has obstructed AFL’s requests with endless deadline extensions, boilerplate denials, and broad, unexplained exemptions. The few records produced were unsubstantive and unrelated to the request, inexplicably consisting of transcripts of New York Mayor Eric Adams’ media appearances. After countless attempts and second chances, AFL is renewing its fight to obtain the records the law requires.
“The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is doing everything it can to delay AFL’s investigation, but we are not giving up until we receive the records we are legally entitled to,” said Will Scolinos, Counsel for America First Legal. “Alvin Bragg’s office is tasked with upholding the rule of law, and now it is time for it to comply with the law instead of continuing to kick the can down the road without justification.”
Read the petition here.
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