Trump demands New York attorney general release communications with Michael Cohen after Cohen claimed he was pressured to testify against Trump

 Lawyers for Donald Trump have demanded that the office of Letitia James hand over all communications with former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen after Cohen claimed he was pressured to testify against him. In a 25-page court filing, Trumps legal team asked for the release of all records involving Cohen and the New York Attorney Generals Office, including interview transcripts, notes, emails, letters and recordings. The request comes weeks before Trumps lawyers are expected to submit a brief to the New York State Court of Appeals in response to an effort by the attorney generals office to reinstate a civil fraud penalty against the president that had previously been dismissed. Trumps attorneys argued that Cohens testimony played a central role in the case brought by James against Trump, his family and his business operations. They said access to Cohens communications with prosecutors is critical as the defense considers filing a motion to overturn the earlier judgment. The legal team also requested that the court order James office to preserve all records related to Cohen until the litigation process is completed. The demand follows a January post published by Cohen on Substack in which he accused prosecutors of pressuring him during their investigations of Trump. In the post, Cohen claimed he felt compelled and coerced to provide testimony that would support cases against the president. He alleged that both the attorney generals office and the Manhattan district attorneys office pushed him to deliver statements that would help secure legal action against Trump. Cohen had previously testified during Trumps civil fraud trial that he worked with former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg to inflate the value of Trumps assets on financial statements. Trumps lawyers argued that communications between Cohen and investigators would have been critical for cross-examining him during the trial. They also claimed prosecutors failed to provide those materials despite repeated requests from the defense. According to the filing, the defense contacted the attorney generals office after Cohens post to request the documents but had not yet received them. The lawyers further alleged that the attorney generals office has not confirmed whether such records exist or whether steps have been taken to ensure they are preserved. James office is currently asking the New York State Court of Appeals to reinstate a financial penalty against Trump that previously exceeded $500 million after interest. An appellate court had earlier ruled that the fine was excessive and violated constitutional limits. Officials from the attorney generals office have not publicly responded to the latest request from Trumps legal team. The post Trump demands New York attorney general release communications with Michael Cohenafter Cohen claimed he was pressured to testify against Trump appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.