Democratic Operative Mike Nellis Responds to Jim Jordan’s Subpoena: ‘This is a Blatant Attempt to Intimidate Us’
Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Longtime Democratic operative and digital fundraiser Mike Nellis disclosed on Wednesday that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) had issued a subpoena to his company, Authentic Campaigns, and one of its employees. The subpoena is tied to Republican claims that Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan should be disqualified from overseeing Donald Trump’s case due to his daughter’s work at Authentic Campaigns.
In response to the Trump-related investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jordan has launched his own inquiry, with Nellis now becoming a witness of interest. “We have just received a subpoena from Jim Jordan and the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee,” Nellis announced in a statement on X.
“This is yet another abuse of power, aimed at promoting a baseless right-wing conspiracy theory that links our company, Authentic, to Donald Trump’s fraud trial,” Nellis stated that his company is reviewing the subpoena with legal counsel and plans to provide more details as they become available. He also accused Jordan of using Congress to target political opponents of Trump.
“Let us be clear: these allegations against our company are completely false and purely politically motivated,” Nellis asserted. “This is a blatant attempt to intimidate us and divert attention from Donald Trump’s conviction. We refuse to be bullied, and we will not allow House Republicans or MAGA extremists to spread lies about our work.”
Nellis emphasized that the suggestion his company was “somehow involved in the Donald Trump fraud trial in New York” is “baseless,” “absurd,” and “false.” He noted that these conspiracy theories have led to harassment of his employees and even death threats against their families.
He also addressed the actions of the committee, stating, “I’m speaking up today because, on August 1st, Jim Jordan and the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee opened a partisan investigation into Authentic, which they immediately leaked to Twitter and Fox News to publicize within minutes of us receiving the letter.”
Nellis underscored that his company had not done any work for President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris in the current election cycle. A judicial New York ethics board had already cleared Judge Merchan of any potential conflict of interest before Trump’s trial began, further discrediting the allegations. As the situation unfolds, Nellis remains resolute, refusing to be intimidated by what he sees as politically motivated attacks.
