These were state charges not federal.
I know I’m preaching to the choir, but how could there be state charges in a federal election case? Or, how could a state’s attorney try a federal case?
They manipulate a state offense (misdemeanor) of falsifying business records into a felony by arguing that it was to cover up another crime. The alleged underlying crime is Federal, but the alleged crime to cover it up is a state offense.
BTW, the FEC, DOJ, the SDNY, and Bragg’s predecessor as Manhattan DA all looked at the case and concluded there was no crime.