Top Republican Elise Stefanik reopens complaint against judge overseeing Trump case after 'new evidence' emerges
SUMMARY
Elise Stefanik has renewed her call for Justice Juan Merchan to recuse himself from overseeing Donald Trump’s hush-money trial. Stefanik, a vocal Trump ally, sent a letter to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, highlighting "new evidence" showing a potential conflict of interest. Stefanik's complaint focuses on Justice Merchan's daughter, Lauren Merchan, whose company, Authentic Campaigns Inc., was hired by Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. The GOP congresswoman argues this financial link violates New York’s Judicial Code of Conduct, which requires judges to step aside if a relative has a financial interest in the case's outcome. Citing Federal Election Commission filings, Stefanik revealed that Harris’s campaign paid Authentic Campaigns $468 for services, a relationship that Stefanik suggests could benefit Merchan’s family in the long term.
