Judge Merchan Hit with Devastating Allegation in Official Complaint

The judge presiding over the case in which former President Donald Trump is accused of falsifying business records is facing an official ethics complaint.

Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, representing a large district in northern and central New York, shared her complaint on social media platform X.

“I just filed an official judicial complaint with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct against Acting Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan for his clear violation of the Rules of Judicial Conduct for the New York State Unified Court System due to his family directly enriching itself off this sham trial against President Trump,” Stefanik wrote.

“The idea that he is in a position to preside over this trial fairly would be laughable if it weren’t so dangerous,” she continued.

“The naked corruption on display in Judge Merchan’s courtroom isn’t only a threat to President Trump, but a threat to our justice system and democracy. It is election interference for financial gain and cannot be tolerated. Judge Merchan should have recused himself, but since he’s refused, he must be held accountable for his judicial misconduct,” she added.

The complaint noted that Merchan’s daughter is president of Authentic Campaigns, a company representing Democratic politicians and allegedly using the trial to raise money for Democrats.

“His family’s wealth is directly tied to attacking President Trump,” Stefanik claimed.

Stefanik referenced court system rules stating that a judge must disqualify themselves from a case when a close relative has an interest that could be substantially affected by the proceedings.

She argued that an acquittal for Trump would harm the clients of Merchan’s daughter, while a conviction would benefit them.

The complaint highlighted that the state Commission on Judicial Conduct had privately cautioned Merchan in July over illegal political donations to Biden and other Democrats in 2020. Stefanik argued that this caution did not prevent Merchan’s alleged judicial misconduct.

“It is imperative that New Yorkers and all Americans have confidence that justice is being dispensed fairly in New York. This is especially true in politically sensitive cases where bias is most likely to rear its ugly head,” she wrote.

“Judge Merchan’s clear conflict of interest, based upon his adult daughter’s financial state in this unprecedented criminal trial, has badly damaged the court’s appearance of impartiality. Given Judge Merchan’s daughter’s clientele—and the vast sums of money that these individuals have raised and will continue to raise off of President Trump’s charges— Judge Merchan’s daughter stands to benefit the more legally imperiled President Trump is,” Stefanik wrote, arguing that court rules required Merchan to recuse himself.

As reported by Axios, in August Merchan refused to step down due to his daughter’s job, citing guidance from the state court system’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics.

Testimony in Trump’s trial concluded on Tuesday, according to Fox News. Closing arguments are scheduled for next week after Memorial Day.

“We have a phenomenal case. We’ve won the case by any standard; any other judge would have thrown this case out. And I think that Juan Merchan would do himself and the state and the city a great service by doing what everybody knows should be done,” Trump said on Tuesday.

Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche has called for the case to be dismissed, arguing that the prosecution failed to prove that business records or filings related to the case were false. Merchan has said he will rule on the motion at a later date.