‘Potential Misconduct’ Complaint Filed Against Judge Overseeing Trump Trial

Judge Juan Merchan’s selection may not be ‘not random at all,’ Rep. Elise Stefanik says.

(Left) Judge Juan M. Merchan poses in his chambers in New York City, on March 14, 2024. (Right) Former President Donald Trump at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on March 25, 2024. Seth Wenig/AP Photo; Spencer Platt/AFP via Getty Images

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) filed a complaint against the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, alleging that his selection in the former president’s case wasn’t random.

“The potential misconduct pertains to the repeated assignment of Acting Justice Juan Merchan, a Democrat Party donor, to criminal cases related to President Donald J. Trump and his allies,” Ms. Stefanik, who has been reportedly aiming to become the former president’s vice presidential pick, wrote in a letter Tuesday.