AG Matt Platkin’s testimony regarding Democratic fundraising group prompts scrutiny

Questions related to the veracity of Attorney General Matt Platkin’s testimony regarding his involvement with a multimillion-dollar Democratic fundraising group have gone unanswered by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (NJOAG).

On April 3, 2025, state Sen. Doug Steinhardt (R-Warren) asked Platkin about his attendance at Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) events during a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee hearing.

“No, I don’t attend political events,” Platkin testified. “I attend conferences that are approved by the appropriate ethics officers.”

“And those meetings are in many cases bipartisan, and sometimes involve people on just one side of the aisle or the other, but they are always about the work that we do in the state. Any political events I have never, I would not, and do not attend.”

When questioned further by Steinhardt about DAGA conferences, Platkin stated “there’s multiple arms of that. I do not attend the political arm functions, if that makes sense.”

The underlying issue Steinhardt raised is that the attorney general is supposed to be an independent constitutional officer. Furthermore, the senator claimed that he “couldn’t find anywhere where an independent AG” attended partisan conferences dating back to the Christie administration.

“I am not the first to do so,” Platkin declared. “But I attend, again, the parts of the programs, and the programs they have, that are policy and not part of the political operation.”

New Jersey is one of seven states that doesn’t elect an attorney general. The position is filled through appointment by the governor and senate confirmation.

According to their website, DAGA is the only political committee “solely dedicated to electing and supporting Democratic state Attorneys General.” DAGA raised and spent approximately $67 million over the past five years, per ProPublica’s records.

DAGA’s website has a biographical page dedicated to Platikin. The organization did not respond to questions regarding whether Platkin approved of the bio, has a DAGA membership, and if there’s any associated dues or fees. ProPublica’s records indicate that the “State of New Jersey – Department of Treasury” donated $600 to DAGA on January 22, 2024.

The top donor to DAGA the past five years was an affiliated nonprofit organization – Progressive State Leaders Committee (PSLC) – that gave over $8.6 million; however, the PSLC’s donors are not disclosed on the organization’s Form 990.

The NJOAG and DAGA declined to answer questions from HudPost regarding knowledge of who the PSLC’s donors are. If someone did know who those donors were, it might be Zoe Magid – a Senior Advisor to Platkin and Special Assistant to the President of DAGA prior to that.

A copy of Magid’s resume, provided by a source to HudPost, states that her role at DAGA included building “strong working relationships with Boards (527, 501(c)4, and 501(c)3), AGs, and senior AG staff” and managing “relationships, communications, and deliverables with donors, political partners, government and other elected officials, and strategic partners.”

Notably, there’s no official biography for Magid – hired in April 2024 – on the NJOAG’s website at the time of this article’s publication (unlike Platkin with DAGA).

Sources that alerted HudPost to potential issues with Platkin’s testimony allege the AG’s statements about DAGA’s activities were dishonest.

In February 2024, Politico reported that donations to DAGA, and it’s Republican rival (RAGA), “highlight a common political strategy for businesses or industries navigating challenging regulatory environments” and that “money unlocks exclusive access at association gatherings and coveted face time with officials outside the courtroom.”

A government affairs professional that’s attended numerous DAGA events, speaking under the condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution, told HudPost that Platkin attended political functions and meet-and-greets with the group’s donors at separate events.

On May 5, 2025, HudPost filed an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request with the NJOAG asking for Platkin and Magid’s email communications related to DAGA, their schedules and travel records for the dates of DAGA conferences, and any travel or security costs related to DAGA events.

The NJOAG did not respond to questions about Platkin and Magid’s attendance at DAGA events, what functions Platkin participated in, and whether the AG’s Office would expedite their response to HudPost’s OPRA request – which already received one extension request since being filed.

For better or worse, Platkin has built the reputation of a partisan leader that welcomes progressive politics at the AG’s Office. Thus it’s hard to understand Platkin’s insistence that he doesn’t attend “political events.”

Interestingly enough, on November 9, 2024, days after Pres. Donald Trump was elected to a second term, Platkin spoke at the “People’s Rally & March” in Jersey City, which was co-hosted by the Working Families Party (WFP).

HudPost confronted Platkin as he exited the event after speaking to the crowd. When Platkin was asked if ex-JCBOE Pres. Sudhan Thomas would ever face trial for corruption charges, Magid interjected and requested that questions be emailed to the NJOAG’s press office.

The flyer promoting the event featured the local affiliates of two national organizations that donated heavily to DAGA over the past five years – the Communications Workers of America ($1,275,000) and Service Employees International Union ($525,000).