Trump’s Legal Team Demands Communications from Cohen
On Wednesday, President Trump’s attorneys called for the release of all correspondence between Michael Cohen and New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office. This demand followed a striking post on Substack by Cohen, who alleged that he was “pressured and coerced” into testifying against Trump.
This request comes about a month before Trump’s team is set to submit briefs to the New York Court of Appeals. This is in response to James’ effort to reinstate a $500 million civil fraud charge against the president that was dismissed last August.
The filing, spanning 25 pages, specifically requests all communications records, including interview transcripts, memos, emails, letters, and recordings, involving Cohen and the Democratic AG’s team.
The lawyers emphasized that Cohen’s testimony is central to the case brought by the New York Attorney General, accusing James’ office of prompting a “political” investigation into Trump, his family, and their businesses.
Cohen claimed that he was coerced into providing information exclusively about Trump that could be used to convict him.
In a significant post on January 16, Cohen suggested that both James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg pressured him to testify against Trump in connection with a civil fraud case and allegations of “hush money” payments.
“I felt compelled to give them what they wanted,” Cohen remarked, pointing out a shared strategy between James and Bragg, even if their backgrounds were different.
He noted that from his initial meetings with lawyers from the Manhattan Prosecutor’s Office and the New York Attorney General’s Office, he sensed immense pressure to supply information that would bolster their case against Trump.
Cohen previously testified during Trump’s civil fraud trial that he collaborated with Allen Weisselberg, who was the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, to inflate Trump’s asset values on financial documents.
Furthermore, Cohen asserted that it was clear that the Attorney General’s team only sought testimony that would target Trump specifically.
Trump’s attorneys argued that Cohen’s interactions with prosecutors were vital for their defense strategy, but claimed that James’ office did not provide any records concerning those interactions, despite multiple requests from the defense.
After the release of Cohen’s Substack article, Trump’s lawyers attempted to reach out to James’ office for a complete record of Cohen’s communications but had received nothing as of the filing’s date.
They criticized James’ office for seemingly stating that they had no knowledge of whether any records exist, and also indicated that it hasn’t taken the time to verify if any records were available at all.
Defendants expressed worry over James’ apparent hesitance to verify whether Cohen’s records are preserved, raising potential concerns of them being deleted.
In essence, they argued that James’ office was obstructing the discovery process and retaining evidence related to the alleged pressure that led to Cohen’s testimony.
Meanwhile, James is seeking a reversal from the New York State Court of Appeals regarding a lower court’s decision that deemed the $464 million judgment against Trump, which accrued to over $500 million with interest, as “excessive” under the U.S. Constitution.
As of the time of the report, James’ office had not responded to requests for comment.
