GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik Lodges Complaint Against Judge Presiding Over January 6 Cases

On Friday, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) submitted a formal complaint accusing a federal judge who has been in charge of multiple cases connected to the events of January 6 of engaging in improper conduct.

Stefanik, a firm supporter of former President Donald Trump and a prominent member of House GOP leadership, officially asked for an ethics inquiry into U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell due to a speech that the judge delivered in November, which the New York Republican deemed to be a “thoroughly inappropriate political address.”

The complaint, which was filed with Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan of the D.C. Court of Appeals, concerns Howell’s comments during a Women’s White Collar Defense Association gala event on November 27 when she received an award.

Stefanik contends that Howell’s comments were far from being politically neutral, and she believes that the judge’s statements were improper comments outside of the courtroom while legal cases are still ongoing.

In her acceptance speech, Howell emphasized the importance of factual information and referenced the assault on the Capitol that occurred on January 6.

“My D.C. judicial colleagues and I regularly see the impact of big lies at the sentencing of hundreds, hundreds of individuals who have been convicted for offense conduct on Jan. 6, 2021, when they disrupted the certification of the 2020 presidential election at the U.S. Capitol,” Howell had said in her speech.