Jim Jordan, the Ohio Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, has issued a subpoena seeking additional information about the political work of the daughter of New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing Donald Trump’s case.
Jordan accused Michael Nellis, a former senior advisor to Kamala Harris and founder of the company Authentic Campaigns, of disobeying House investigators’ requests for any and all documents pertaining to the prosecution of Trump in a letter addressed to him.
His company has handled political work for prominent Democrat clients like Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, and U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff. It provides general consulting, online fundraising, digital paid media, mobile messaging, creative content, and logo and branding for political campaigns and politicians.
Earlier this month, the committee sent a letter to Judge Merchan’s daughter, Loren Merchan, the president and partner of Authentic, asking for records related to their investigation of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against Trump.
Loren Merchan, the daughter of the judge handling Trump's case, is now president of Authentic Campaigns, a consulting company that has fundraised over $250 million for progressive campaigns. Its clients include Kamala Harris, the Biden-Harris campaign, and Gavin Newsom. pic.twitter.com/08zGmZYrOX
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) April 4, 2023
Jordan said in his letter on Wednesday that Nellis had turned down that request as well as one more later in the month.
“As such, the Committee is left with no choice but to resort to compulsory process,” Jordan wrote. “Popularly elected prosecutors, such as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, have engaged in an unprecedented abuse of authority by prosecuting a former President of the United States and current nominee for that office. Of relevance to the Committee’s oversight is the impartiality of Judge Juan Merchan, the presiding trial judge, due to his refusal to recuse himself from the case in light of his apparent conflicts of interest and biases.
“One such conflict is Ms. Merchan’s — daughter of Judge Merchan and President of Authentic Campaigns — work on behalf of President Trump’s political adversaries and the possible financial benefit that Ms. Merchan and Authentic Campaigns received from the prosecution and conviction of President Trump.”
According to Jordan, he received public reports indicating that Loren Merchan and Nellis were “closely involved in the presidential campaigns of both President Biden and Vice President Harris.”
“During Ms. Merchan’s employment with the Harris campaign, Authentic Campaigns received over $7 million in compensation for its services. You also worked for then-presidential candidate Harris, and it appears you continue to do so. Authentic Campaigns conducted work for the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign and, according to public records, was paid just over $2 million in a one-month period for its work,” he continued.
Compared to Jordan’s earlier request for information, the subpoena has a more limited scope. In a letter dated August 1st, he ordered Loren Merchan to turn over any and all documents pertaining to her work for Biden and Harris, as well as any that mentioned the prosecution or indictment of Trump.
Jordan is granting Nellis until September 13th to comply, as per the subpoena that the press was able to obtain.
In a post on X (Twitter) on Wednesday afternoon, Nellis responded to the subpoena by stating that the company was “thoroughly reviewing the subpoena with our legal team and will provide updates as soon as we have more information.”
“Let us be clear: these allegations against our company are completely false and purely politically motivated,” Nellis said. “This is a blatant attempt to intimidate us and divert attention from Donald Trump’s conviction. We refuse to be bullied, and we will not allow House Republicans or MAGA extremists to spread lies about our work. We remain steadfast in our mission and are deeply grateful for the unwavering support of our friends and family during this time.”
Due to his daughter’s job position and her political activities, many have accused Judge Merchan of having political bias. Before the trial started, Merchan was asked by Trump’s legal team to disqualify himself, but he refused.
In a June 2023 ruling, a New York state ethics panel comprised of mostly Democrats upheld Merchan’s choice.
However, Jordan argued, “Judge Merchan’s conflicts of interest and biases in the case against President Trump, the Republican nominee in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, implicate serious federal interests.”
“Congress has a specific and manifestly important interest in preventing politically motivated prosecutions of current and former presidents, especially in venues in which real or perceived biases exist. Among other things, if state or local prosecutors are able to engage in politically motivated prosecutions of Presidents of the United States (current or former) for personal acts, this could have a profound effect on how presidents choose to exercise their powers while in office,” the letter added.
Trump’s hearing is currently scheduled for September 18th.
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