Republican Representative Elise Stefanik has lodged an ethics complaint against New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, citing an alleged "illegal conflict of interest" in the trial against former President Donald Trump. The complaint revolves around a claimed financial relationship between the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris and a company led in part by Merchan's daughter.

The complaint, sent to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, coincided with Justice Merchan's decision to postpone Trump's sentencing in the highly publicized New York v. Trump case until after the November presidential election. This development has raised eyebrows, prompting Stefanik to call for a "fresh inquiry" into Merchan's conduct and any necessary action to be taken.

Stefanik's complaint focuses on a Federal Election Commission (FEC) report filed by Harris's campaign on August 20, 2024. It points to a disbursement of $468.00 made on July 30, 2024, from Harris's campaign to a company called Authentic Campaigns Inc., which provided web hosting services. Stefanik alleges that this company, which specializes in digital consulting and marketing for Democratic candidates, has Loren Merchan, Justice Merchan's daughter, as its president.

According to Stefanik, this transaction signifies a direct financial connection between the Harris campaign and Authentic, indicating a conflict of interest for Justice Merchan. Moreover, Stefanik claims that shortly after Harris became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, her campaign switched web hosting companies from AWS to Authentic, suggesting a deliberate choice that could potentially benefit Merchan and Authentic in the long run, beyond the immediate reimbursement.

Stefanik argues that the code of conduct for judges demands recusal in cases where a relative up to the sixth degree has a financial stake in the outcome. Given that Loren Merchan is the first-degree relative of Justice Merchan, the complaint asserts that his involvement in the Trump trial raises significant concerns.

As of now, both the Harris campaign and the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct have not provided any immediate response to these allegations. Fox News Digital reached out to both parties for comment but received no replies.

The filing of this ethics complaint adds another layer of complexity to Trump's criminal trial and its potential impact on his presidential aspirations. With Justice Merchan's decision to postpone the sentencing, the trial's timing has become a subject of scrutiny. As the legal battle continues, the outcome of Stefanik's complaint will likely influence the public perception of the trial's fairness and the ethical conduct of those involved.