Prosecutors Subpoenaed Firm Tied to Hush-Money Judge's Daughter
Prosecutors Subpoenaed Firm Tied to Hush-Money Judge's Daughter
The News
Federal prosecutors in Chicago subpoenaed a Democratic fund-raising firm once co-owned by the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan — the judge who presided over Donald Trump's New York hush-money trial — The New York Times reported Saturday.
The Times said the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew S. Boutros, directed Authentic Campaigns Inc. to hand over a broad range of internal communications with clients. The client list named in the grand jury subpoena reviewed by the Times included former Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Joe Biden, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and the Democratic National Committee.
Loren Merchan, the judge's daughter, was the firm's vice president until late 2024 and was also on that list, according to the Times.
What has not happened matters as much as what has. Nobody has been charged. The reporting describes no allegation of a crime by Judge Merchan, by his daughter, or by the firm. The Times reported it is not clear where the investigation stands, and that no follow-up subpoenas have gone to individuals — including Ms. Merchan or firm founder Mike Nellis — which the paper said suggests prosecutors may not be actively working to charge anyone.
Timeline
A Manhattan jury convicts Trump on 34 felony counts stemming from his efforts to keep a porn star from publicizing her account of a liaison with him. The verdict lands in the middle of his campaign for a second term. Trump calls the case lawfare and a witch hunt.
House Judiciary Committee Republicans send a subpoena to Authentic Campaigns, according to the letter published on the committee's own website.
Loren Merchan's tenure as the firm's vice president ends, per the Times.
Nellis refuses to give the committee confidential emails it sought, including messages between Ms. Merchan and her father. Judiciary Republicans then make a criminal referral, which is what prosecutors used to seek the subpoena, the Times reported.
Boutros's office issues the grand jury subpoena to Authentic Campaigns.
The firm's legal team, which includes Preet Bharara, the former top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, pushes to limit the demand. Prosecutors narrow it to a $468 payment from the Harris presidential campaign and emails between Ms. Merchan and her father, according to people with knowledge of the inquiry who spoke to the Times anonymously.
Reactions
Nellis, the firm's founder, was blunt with the Times. "The Trump administration's targeting of my company is an outrageous abuse of power," he said. "It is a ridiculous fishing expedition based on conspiracy theories that are completely divorced from reality."
He also accused the Justice Department of trying to seize the "sensitive political communications of my clients who are among Trump's most prominent political adversaries."
The Times noted that the Merchan family has been a frequent target of Trump and his allies, who have made unsubstantiated claims that the judge was out to get him and that his daughter profited from accusations aired at the trial.
AlterNet, writing off the Times report, cast the subpoena as part of a wave of retribution by a politicized Justice Department. The Times framed it more narrowly, as the latest sign of how far U.S. attorneys around the country have been pulled into Trump's efforts to target his adversaries.
What's Next
There is no public court date, no indictment and no announced charge. The Times could not establish where the inquiry stands, and the absence of follow-up subpoenas to individuals is the clearest available signal that it may be dormant rather than building toward a case.
Two things to watch: whether prosecutors issue any subpoena to a person rather than the company, and whether Authentic Campaigns moves in court to quash what remains of the demand.
More
A note on the sourcing, because it is thin. This story rests on one original report — The New York Times, which says it reviewed the grand jury subpoena and spoke to people with knowledge of the inquiry who requested anonymity. Every factual claim above is the Times's reporting, plus one quoted response from Nellis and the House Judiciary Committee's own published subpoena letter. The Frank has not independently reviewed the subpoena.
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