Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has once again targeted Judge Juan Merchan, filing a new ethics complaint on Friday that accuses the acting Manhattan Supreme Court justice of having a glaring conflict of interest.
Stefanik is questioning the judge's impartiality because of his daughter, Loren Merchan, and her recent work for Kamala Harris' campaign, as reported by the New York Post.
Stefanik's letter to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct reveals a $468 payment made by Harris' campaign to Loren's consulting firm, Authentic Campaigns.
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This payment, made on July 30, followed the suspension of President Biden’s re-election efforts. Stefanik was quick to point out that this was one of Harris’ first moves in taking over Biden's campaign operations.
🚨🚨🚨 Today I filed a new judicial ethics complaint with the New York State Commission because new evidence on Kamala Harris’ most recent FEC filing shows she hired and paid Acting Justice Juan Merchan’s adult daughter’s company. This is a clear violation of the New York State… pic.twitter.com/Il7PwjSXIR
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) September 6, 2024
Stefanik argued that although Biden’s campaign had no dealings with Loren Merchan’s firm, Harris immediately initiated a working relationship, even though the sum was relatively small.
According to Stefanik, “It’s not just about the amount; this is setting the stage for a much larger contract down the road.” She suggests this arrangement poses a clear conflict of interest for Judge Merchan, who was set to sentence former President Donald Trump on Sept. 18 in a highly publicized case.
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The case revolves around Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts related to business record falsification.
Stefanik calls on the judge to recuse himself, citing specific sections of the judicial code. According to her, the law is clear: if a relative up to the sixth degree has a financial stake in the outcome, the judge must step aside.
Loren Merchan’s ties to Harris' campaign, Stefanik claims, fit the bill.
Not long after Stefanik’s complaint, Judge Merchan postponed Trump’s sentencing to Nov. 26 — notably, three weeks after the upcoming November 5 elections, with mail voting already underway in some states.
This isn’t Stefanik’s first shot at Merchan. She previously filed a complaint with the New York State Unified Court System’s inspector general, alleging that Merchan was unfairly assigned to oversee multiple Trump-related cases, including those involving Steve Bannon, a key Trump ally.
While Merchan was cleared of previous allegations regarding donations to Biden and progressive causes, Stefanik believes his actions continue to raise serious ethical concerns.
As always, Stefanik's criticisms are aimed at ensuring fairness, especially as Trump maintains his innocence and denies the allegations. Robert Tembeckjian, the Commission Administrator, declined to comment on the latest complaint, citing confidentiality restrictions.
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Just curious what the turnaround time is on reviewing a complaint and delivering a decision. The original ethics complaint is aging without any visible activity to reach a decision.