The delay of former President Donald Trump’s sentencing in his New York criminal trial until after the November presidential election has sparked a fresh wave of controversy, with Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., filing an ethics complaint against the presiding judge, Juan Merchan.
Stefanik alleges that Judge Merchan has an illegal conflict of interest due to a financial relationship between his daughter’s company, Authentic Campaigns Inc., and the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
In her complaint filed with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Stefanik highlights a recent disbursement from the Harris campaign to Authentic, a digital consulting and marketing firm specializing in Democrat candidates. Loren Merchan, the judge’s daughter, serves as the president of Authentic.
Stefanik argues that this financial connection constitutes a direct conflict of interest, citing the code of conduct that mandates judges to recuse themselves from cases where a relative within the sixth degree has a financial stake in the outcome. She emphasizes that Loren Merchan is Judge Merchan’s first-degree relative, creating a direct conflict.
The ethics complaint comes on the heels of Judge Merchan’s decision to postpone Trump’s sentencing until after the election. Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, stemming from an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Stefanik’s complaint accuses Judge Merchan of using his position to benefit his family’s business and suggests that the timing of the sentencing delay, coinciding with the upcoming election, raises serious concerns about potential bias. The complaint urges the Commission to investigate the alleged conflict and take appropriate action.
The Harris campaign and the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct have not yet responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. This development adds another layer of complexity to the already highly charged legal and political landscape surrounding Trump’s ongoing legal battles.
