Federal prosecutors in Chicago have been investigating Authentic Campaigns Inc., a Democratic fundraising firm once co-owned by the daughter of the judge who oversaw President Donald Trump’s New York hush-money trial, according to court filings and people familiar with the inquiry, The New York Times reported.
Last August, the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago subpoenaed the firm for a wide range of internal communications with major Democratic clients as part of a federal investigation into whether its work involved improper conduct or potential violations of federal law.
Clients allegedly include former Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Joe Biden, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the Democratic National Committee, according to a grand jury subpoena reviewed by the Times.
Loren Merchan, the daughter of Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, served as a vice president at Authentic Campaigns until late 2024 and was also named in the federal investigation. Trump and his allies have repeatedly targeted the Merchan family, accusing the judge of bias against Trump without evidence and claiming his daughter could have financially benefited from the case.
Trump’s hush-money trial ended in May 2024 with his conviction on 34 felony counts. He was accused of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who said she had an affair with Trump and threatened to make the story public during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Authentic Campaigns fought the subpoena through its legal team, which included former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.
After negotiations, prosecutors narrowed their request, focusing on a $468 payment from Harris’ presidential campaign and on emails exchanged between Loren Merchan and her father, according to people familiar with the investigation who spoke to the Times anonymously because the investigation is ongoing.
The current status of the investigation remains unclear. Prosecutors have not issued any additional subpoenas to Loren Merchan, Authentic Campaigns founder Michael Nellis, or other individuals, suggesting that authorities are not actively pursuing criminal charges at this time, sources told the Times.
The Independent has contacted Authentic Campaigns and the Department of Justice for comment.
The investigation is the latest sign that federal prosecutors, once largely insulated from politics, are increasingly being pulled into Trump’s efforts to go after his political opponents.
Trump’s attacks on Juan Merchan began around his April 2023 arraignment in the hush-money case, when he called the judge partisan, claiming on Truth Social that Merchan “hates me” and that he “must be changed.”
The attacks intensified in March 2024, after Merchan set a trial date and issued a limited gag order. Trump accused Merchan, without evidence of favoring his daughter’s Democratic political consulting interests without evidence. He called the order “illegal” and “un-American,” claiming it violated his First Amendment rights and was part of a broader effort by Democrats to weaponize law enforcement.
During the hush money trial, Trump continued attacking Merchan and violating the gag order, prompting the judge to expand the order to cover family members and hold Trump in criminal contempt of court.