Federal investigation targets firm linked to Trump hush-money judge's daughter

Federal prosecutors in Chicago have been investigating Authentic Campaigns Inc, a Democratic fundraising firm formerly co-owned by Loren Merchan. Loren Merchan is the daughter of Juan Merchan, the Manhattan judge who presided over Donald Trump’s 2024 hush-money trial.

Court filings indicate the U.S. attorney’s office in the Northern District of Illinois issued a grand jury subpoena for internal communications from the firm. The requested documents included records involving several high-profile Democratic figures, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Governor Kathy Hochul, and Representative Hakeem Jeffries.

Following legal challenges from the firm’s counsel, prosecutors reportedly narrowed the scope of the subpoena. The revised request focuses on a $468 payment from Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign and emails between Loren Merchan and her father. It remains unclear if the investigation will lead to any charges, as no follow-up subpoenas have been issued to specific individuals.