Michael Cohen requests judge to dismiss subpoena issued by Trump

Michael Cohen, former fixer for Donald Trump, has requested a judge to quash a “wildly overbroad” subpoena that demands he turn over documents, data, and communications as part of New York’s criminal lawsuit against the former president.

According to The Messenger, the 33-page motion refers to the subpoena as “an obvious and blatant act of witness intimidation” and stated that it was “merely the latest incident in a years-long pattern of harassment and retaliation by defendant Trump.”

Trump is reportedly seeking information from a time period when Cohen wasn’t working for him, including documents and communications that are stored on phones, tablets, computers and hard copy. Data stored in encrypted messaging applications has also been requested.

Last week, Cohen said he expected the motion to quash to be “granted expeditiously” and called for Trump and his attorney to be “sanctioned and fined” for filing a “frivolous action,” Raw Story reported.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office filed a motion to quash Cohen’s subpoena with New York’s Supreme Court earlier this month, arguing that Trump is trying to obtain evidence for his now-dropped $500 million lawsuit against Cohen. The former president has suggested that he may refile the lawsuit against his one-time lawyer.

“Ever since Mr. Cohen accepted criminal responsibility for his actions including actions taken on behalf of, at the direction of, and in coordination with Defendant Trump — and began providing information to authorities in numerous investigations of Defendant Trump and his various business entities, Defendant Trump has repeatedly abused the judicial system in an effort to silence Mr. Cohen,” Cohen’s attorney Danya Perry wrote.

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance violations related to his concealment and payment of $130,000 in hush-money to porn star Stormy Daniels over an alleged affair with Trump. Despite finding that Cohen made the payments at Trump’s request, the Justice Department never prosecuted the former president for the incident.

In his criminal case against Trump, Bragg alleges that Trump falsified business records to reimburse Cohen for the hush-money payments plus interest and other fees. Prosecutors say Trump paid out monthly installments of $35,000 to reimburse Cohen, leading to numerous charges.

Late last month, Cohen testified in the civil fraud trial brought against Trump by New York Attorney General Letitia James, which is seeking to shut down the former president’s New York real estate empire. Trump’s attorneys accused Cohen of admitting to multiple acts of perjury while on the witness stand.

Cohen’s lawyer argues that Trump’s subpoena shows he’s using the same tactics against a perceived enemy.

“Defendant Trump’s clear motive is to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against Mr. Cohen which is itself sufficient reason to quash the Subpoena,” the motion states.