Elise Stefanik's attack on Trump's civil fraud judge Arthur Engoron flopped: report

Rep. Elise Stefanik's attack on the New York civil court judge who held former President Donald Trump liable for over $450 million seems to have died with a whimper, according to a new report.

Justice Arthur F. Engoron and law clerk Allison Greenfield were both cleared by a state commission of allegations that they exhibited "inappropriate bias and judicial intemperance," according to a new report from the Daily Beast.

The Beast also reports that news of the ruling came as a surprise to Stefanik (R-NY).

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"Staff for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) responded by demanding to know on what basis The Daily Beast could assert the complaint went nowhere," the report states. "Stefanik’s executive director, Alex DeGrasse, did not say whether the congresswoman had received a copy of the decision."

Engoron has been the frequent target of character attacks from Trump and his allies, the report notes.

"The most prominent was an ethics complaint filed by Stefanik to the state’s judicial commission, describing 'serious concerns about … inappropriate bias and judicial intemperance shown,'" said the report. "Although nearly all such complaints are filed and processed in secret, Stefanik announced the accusation on X in November."

Stefanik, who has chaired the House Republican Conference ever since former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) was ousted from that role for her criticisms of Trump, is considered to be one of the former president's contenders for running mate in 2024.

This comes at the same time that Stefanik has filed a similar complaint against Judge Juan Merchan, the jurist who presided over Trump's criminal hush money trial that ended with a historic conviction on all 34 charges.

In that case, Stefanik has alleged Merchan was biased due in part to the political activities of his daughter, who has done work for a consulting firm that works with Democratic campaigns. Trump himself has attacked Merchan's daughter repeatedly, which led to him being subject to a gag order and held in contempt of court.