Top Republican Elise Stefanik demands ethics probe into D.C. judge who’s ruled in Trump’s January 6 case after she said his re-election would ‘lead to fascism’ in America and said ‘lies’ caused Capitol Riot

  • Stefanik requested an ethics investigation into D.C. Circuit Court Judge Beryl Howell over her November remarks at the Women’s White Collar Defense Gala
  • During the address Howell signaled the January 6 Capitol riot had been the result of ‘big lies’

Top Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik filed a judiciary complaint accusing the judge in Donald Trump‘s January 6 case of engaging in ‘highly inappropriate political speech.’

The staunch Trump ally and GOP conference chair requested an ethics investigation into D.C. Circuit Court Judge Beryl Howell over her November remarks at the Women’s White Collar Defense Gala. 

During the address Howell signaled the January 6 Capitol riot had been the result of ‘big lies.’ 

‘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 said while accepting an award at the event last month.

Howell supervised Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal indictment of Trump for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election – and previously instructed the grand jury in the Mueller probe.  

She is also presiding over former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani‘s defamation trial – where two Georgia election workers are seeking $47 million and arguing Giuliani played an outsized role in ‘eviscerating’ their reputations because he falsely accused them of committing election fraud. 

Top Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik filed a judiciary complaint accusing the judge in Donald Trump ‘s January 6 case of engaging in ‘highly inappropriate political speech’

More than 1,200 people have been charged in connection to the Capitol riot. Over 700 have pleaded guilty to federal charges. 

Stefanik also pointed to a point in the address where Howell referenced a book by Heather Cox Richardson, ‘Democracy Awakening,’ that said the U.S. was ‘at a crossroads, teetering on the brink of authoritarianism.’

‘Howell gave a highly inappropriate speech in which she insinuated the election of President Trump will lead to fascism in America,’ Stefanik said in a statement on X.

Stefanik has also filed an ethics complaint against Judge Arthur Engeron, who is presiding over Trump’s $250 million civil fraud case.

The staunch Trump ally and GOP conference chair requested an ethics investigation into D.C. Circuit Court Judge Beryl Howell over her November remarks at the Women's White Collar Defense Gala

The staunch Trump ally and GOP conference chair requested an ethics investigation into D.C. Circuit Court Judge Beryl Howell over her November remarks at the Women’s White Collar Defense Gala

She is also presiding over Rudy Giuliani's defamation trial - where two Georgia election workers are seeking $47 million and arguing Giuliani played an outsized role in 'eviscerating' their reputations because he falsely accused them of committing election fraud

She is also presiding over Rudy Giuliani’s defamation trial – where two Georgia election workers are seeking $47 million and arguing Giuliani played an outsized role in ‘eviscerating’ their reputations because he falsely accused them of committing election fraud

Howell, appointed by former President Barack Obama, has ruled against January 6 defendants and rejected arguments made by Trump lawyers.