Donald Trump has been hammering an alleged conflict of interest in the New York fraud case brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, which Judge Juan Merchan presides over.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has now chipped in, issuing a subpoena to Authentic Campaigns, the company where Judge Merchan’s daughter works.
Talking Points…
- Making money
- Jordan issues subpoena
- Analysis
We have all seen the reports about how much money Loren Merchan has been making working for Democrats at Authentic Campaigns, a political marketing agency. Merchan is listed as the company's president on its website, which is why Republicans are zeroing in on the agency and the possible conflict of interest for Judge Merchan in the fraud case.
During the 2020 cycle, Rep. Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) campaign committee paid Authentic Campaigns about $4 million. During the current election cycle, his Senate campaign has paid Authentic Campaigns about $12 million, and he is only one client.
Also on her past and current roster of clients are Kamala Harris, Governor Gavin Newsom, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, just to name a few. In more recent campaigns, Authentic Campaigns has been driving campaigns using Trump’s legal problems, hence the possible conflict of interest. Republicans believe that Merchan is biased in the case, and there is clearly an argument to be made here.
Jordan is now trying to get to the bottom of Loren Merchan's work. He has since issued a subpoena for information regarding that work. He penned a letter to the founder of Authentic Campaigns, Michael Nellis, of having failed to comply with the committee’s request for all documents related to the prosecution of Donald Trump.
Nellis has reportedly rejected the requests, resulting in Jordan issuing a subpoena. Jordan wrote:
"As such, the Committee is left with no choice but to resort to compulsory process. 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."
Jordan also noted that Merchan was very involved in the campaigns of both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. He continued:
"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.”
Nellis responded to the letter by Jordan, stating:
"Let us be clear: these allegations against our company are completely false and purely politically motivated. 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."
You guys know me well enough by now that if I thought this was nothing but a headline grabber, I would call Jordan out, but I have been asking questions about Merchan’s firm from the first day. I have always believed that Merchan should have recused himself from the case due to what appears to be a clear conflict of interest. This is especially true due to the nature of her campaigns, specifically raising money off Trump’s legal issues and, even more specifically, the case that was assigned to Judge Merchan.
