
An ethics complaint has been filed against Vice President Kamala Harris, raising questions about a financial connection between her presidential campaign and the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) submitted the complaint after it was revealed that Harris’ campaign hired Authentic Campaigns, a firm run by Loren Merchan, the judge’s daughter, for marketing services.
According to reports, Harris’ campaign paid $468 to the firm on July 30, just nine days after she replaced President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket. Stefanik argues that Judge Merchan, who is presiding over President Donald Trump’s hush-money case, should have recused himself due to his daughter’s financial interest in Harris’ campaign.
The complaint asks the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct to investigate whether Judge Merchan violated the state’s judicial code. New York’s rules require judges to step aside from cases if a close relative has a financial interest in the outcome. Stefanik claims that Merchan’s failure to recuse raises serious concerns about impartiality.
Judge Merchan has faced scrutiny before, with critics accusing him of bias in cases involving Trump. This new connection between his daughter and Harris’ campaign has only added fuel to those claims. As the 2024 election cycle heats up, Republicans are likely to push for further investigations into potential conflicts of interest.
Whether this complaint leads to action by New York’s judicial oversight body remains to be seen, but it highlights ongoing concerns about the fairness of the legal system when it comes to Trump-related cases.