House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has escalated his investigation into the political work conducted by the daughter of a New York judge presiding over a case involving former President Donald Trump, issuing a subpoena for documents related to her company's activities, Fox News reported.
Jordan subpoenaed Michael Nellis, CEO of Authentic Campaigns, as part of his investigation into Loren Merchan, daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who presides over Trump's N.Y. business documents case. Loren Merchan is the firm's president.
Jordan's decision to issue the subpoena follows what he described as a lack of cooperation from Nellis and Merchan. In an earlier letter dated Aug. 1, Jordan requested documents from Authentic Campaigns as part of his probe into the involvement of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in the prosecution of Trump. The committee's interest centers on whether Judge Merchan's connections to his daughter's political work could influence his impartiality in the Trump case.
Nellis previously dismissed Jordan's claims as absurd, stating that the company has no dealings with an employee's parent. He also noted that the firm does not work for the Biden or Harris campaigns and has no connection to the outcome of Trump's case, The Hill reported.
In his latest letter, Jordan cited an "unprecedented abuse of authority" by Bragg, who prosecuted Trump. He expressed concern over the potential conflict of interest due to Loren Merchan's work with prominent Democrat figures, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Jordan pointed out that during the 2020 campaign, Authentic Campaigns was paid millions of dollars for its services to the Biden-Harris campaign.
More narrowly focused than the original request for information, the subpoena demands documents related to any political work Loren Merchan conducted for Biden or Harris or connected to Trump's prosecution. Jordan has set a deadline of Sept. 13 for Nellis to comply with the subpoena.
In response to the subpoena, Nellis took to social media to reject the allegations, describing them as "completely false and purely politically motivated." He accused House Republicans of attempting to "intimidate" his company and deflect attention from Trump's legal challenges. Nellis stated that his company is "reviewing the subpoena" with legal counsel and will "provide updates" as needed.
The inquiry by the House Judiciary Committee has heightened tensions surrounding Trump's ongoing legal battles. Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records. His legal team has argued that Judge Merchan should have recused himself from the case due to his daughter's political connections. Still, Merchan declined, a decision later supported by a New York state ethics panel.
Jordan's actions reflect broader concerns among Republicans regarding the potential political motivations behind prosecutions of high-profile figures, particularly in light of the upcoming 2024 presidential election, where Trump is the Republican candidate.
Jordan emphasized the federal interest in preventing politically motivated prosecutions of current and former presidents, warning of the potential consequences for how presidents exercise their powers while in office.
Trump's legal team is currently appealing the ruling, and a sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 18.