Stormy Daniels Subpoena Denied by Trump Lawyers

Porn star Stormy Daniels will not be required to respond to a subpoena from former President Donald Trump’s defense team during his ongoing criminal trial, as ruled by Judge Juan Merchan on Wednesday. Trump’s lawyers sought documents from Daniels related to the trial, but the subpoena was deemed “overbroad” by Merchan.

Merchan stated that the subpoena was merely an attempt by Trump’s defense team to access confidential records in hopes of finding unspecified information to use against witnesses.

Trump, facing charges by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment made just before the 2016 U.S. election to keep Daniels silent about an alleged sexual encounter in 2006, has pleaded not guilty and denied the encounter.

Prosecutors believe this payment was part of a larger conspiracy to hide damaging information from voters as Trump faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct during the 2016 election campaign.

Trump’s defense team was seeking all documents from Daniels related to a documentary she recently appeared in that premiered on Peacock this year, according to The Washington Examiner.

Daniels was served with the subpoena at a Brooklyn nightclub on March 18, but she ignored it, and both her attorneys and prosecutors requested the judge to quash it.

Daniels is expected to be a prosecution witness in the trial against Trump. In a post on Truth Social two weeks ago, Trump referred to her as a sleazebag.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump took to Truth Social to express his belief that Merchan should be removed from the case, accusing him of being biased.

This trial, expected to last up to two months, is the first criminal trial involving a former U.S. president and the first of four prosecutions against Trump to go to a jury.

This report includes information from the Associated Press.