Rep. Elise Stefanik filed an ethics complaint against New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan “for his unlawful conflict of interest in the sham Manhattan lawsuit against President Trump,” alleging that Harris’ campaign has a “newly active financial relationship” with a company run in part by her daughter.
The filing with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct came on the same day Merchan decided to postpone Trump's sentencing in the New York v. Trump case until after the November presidential election.
Trump was found guilty in an unprecedented criminal trial on all 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records, following a six-week trial stemming from an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
However, Stefanik, R-N.Y., is now calling on the Commission to launch “a new investigation into Judge Merchan's conflict and take appropriate action resulting therefrom.”
Judge Merchan Postpones Trump's Sentence Until After the Election
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., filed an ethics complaint against Judge Juan Merchán. (Leon Neal/Getty Images/AP/Seth Wenig)
“On August 20, 2024, Vice President Harris' campaign filed its first report with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) documenting expenditures and donations through July 31, 2024. The report… shows a July 30, 2024 disbursement in the amount of $468.00 from Vice President Harris' campaign to Authentic Campaigns Inc. (Authentic) for web hosting services,” Stefanik wrote in her complaint. “This indicates that one of the first things Harris did upon taking over the Biden campaign infrastructure was to hire this company, Authentic.
READ THE LETTER BELOW. APPLICATION USERS: CLICK HERE
“Authentic is a digital marketing and consulting firm that provides services to Democratic candidates. Loren Merchan, Judge Merchan's daughter, is its president,” Stefanik added. “Vice President Harris switched web hosting companies from AWS to Authentic immediately after becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
“This is just the beginning of a new contract with a new campaign, regardless of the amount reimbursed. Sure, there is an immediate benefit, but this is a bet on a possible greater benefit for Authentic and Merchan in the future,” Stefanik said in her complaint.
Judge Merchan sued over financial disclosures amid concerns about daughter's Democratic job
Former President Trump is set to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30 in New York City for his bribery trial. Sentencing in that case, in which Trump was found guilty, has been postponed until November. (Steven Hirsch/Getty Images)
Stefanik went on to say that the code of conduct “dictates that a judge must recuse himself or herself from a case in which a relative up to and including the sixth degree has a financial interest in the outcome of the case.”
“Ms. Merchan is a first-degree relative of Judge Merchan. Authentic has a recently active financial relationship with Vice President Harris' campaign,” Stefanik concluded.
Stefanik says Authentic, a company run by Merhan's daughter, “has a newly active financial relationship with Vice President Harris' campaign.” (Reuters)
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The Harris campaign and the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct did not immediately respond Saturday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
