Trump Ally Files Ethics Complaint Against Trump Judge

Donald Trump has urged supporters to fight for him as he faces a civil fraud trial in New York. The result has included attacks in social media posts and on Fox News commentary against Judge Arthur Engoron and his family, the New York Times reports. On Friday, one of his most fervent congressional allies stepped it up a notch, filing a judicial ethics complaint against the judge. Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik wrote to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct that a "clear judicial bias" against the former president during the trial, per the Hill.

The complaint repeats the arguments of Trump and his lawyers. Stefanik called New York's lawsuit "disgraceful" on Friday, and her letter called the judge's courtroom behavior "bizarre" in her filing. It also criticizes Engoron's principal law clerk, Allison Greenfield, saying she's donated to Democratic causes. Engoron "must recuse from this case," Sefanik's letter says, though the commission lacks the authority to order that, per NBC News. The commission's administrator said in a statement that issues before it remain confidential unless there's a finding that a judge committed misconduct. Stefanik represents a New York district but isn't a lawyer and has no connection to the Trump case. (One of Trump's attorneys also lit into the judge.)