President Donald Trump’s legal team is requesting the disclosure of all communications between Michael Cohen and the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, following Cohen’s assertion that he was “coerced” into testifying against Trump.
Cohen, who has testified against Trump on two occasions, recently shared an article on his Substack account titled “When Politics Blinds Justice.” In it, he explained how prosecutors pressured him to become a key witness in cases targeting Trump.
Cohen expressed, “In summary, the NYAG is obstructing both the discovery and preservation of evidence related to the ‘pressure and coercion’ that influenced the court’s decision in an unjust manner.” He detailed feeling pressured from the outset, indicating that the prosecutors’ focus was solely on obtaining information that would advance their case against Trump.
Having first been contacted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office in 2019 while serving a three-year prison term, Cohen said he was eager to cooperate to reunite with his family. He admitted to questioning how he could be beneficial to the prosecutors.
After his release in September 2020, Cohen continued meeting with the prosecution in hopes of negotiating a reduced sentence for his cooperation. However, he maintained that the prosecutors were singularly interested in his testimony to secure a conviction against Trump.
Cohen claimed that he faced “inappropriate leading questions” designed to elicit supportive responses for their claims. He noted that similar tactics seemed to be at play in the civil suit against Trump by Attorney General Letitia James.
Cohen recalled James’s campaign promise to target Trump, indicating that her office was very clear about wanting him to provide the testimony necessary for that aim. This led him to feel compelled to comply.
He accused both James and Bragg of blurring the lines between justice and politics, thereby sacrificing credibility. Cohen explained his reasoning for speaking out now: having witnessed the consequences of prosecutors selecting a target first and then seeking evidence to fit a narrative.
In August, an appellate court overturned a $454 million fine on Trump imposed by James, which had since grown to $500 million with interest. James appealed that decision in September. Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in a separate case in 2024 but has since appealed for the convictions to be expunged.
Trump’s lawyers issued a letter to James’s office, requesting all records of communications with Cohen because they believe these interactions are vital for cross-examination during the trial. They argued that despite written requests for records regarding Cohen’s meetings with Trump, James’s office hasn’t produced any of these documents.
They highlighted concerns that these records might be deleted if James does not act to confirm their preservation. Trump’s legal team emphasized that the NYAG appears to be obstructing the discovery process relating to how testimony was allegedly pressured.
Both the offices of James and Bragg have not responded to requests for comment.
