A subpoena issued by Donald Trump to Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, seeking material related to a recent documentary about Stormy Daniels, has been blocked by the judge overseeing Trump’s upcoming criminal trial on April 15.
Justice Juan Merchan stated that Trump’s claim of a conspiracy between Daniels and NBC to release the film close to the trial lacked evidence. In a court order, the judge described Trump’s subpoena as a “fishing expedition,” indicating it lacked merit.
Former President Trump (Credits: CNN)
Neither Trump’s legal team nor NBCUniversal immediately responded to requests for comment. Trump faces allegations of covering up a $130,000 payment made by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to Daniels to maintain her silence before the 2016 election about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.
The former president, now a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and denies any involvement in the alleged encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
Donald Trump (Credits: CNBC)
The documentary, “Stormy,” premiered on NBC’s streaming service Peacock on March 18. Initially scheduled to begin on March 25, Trump’s trial was postponed by three weeks after he accused prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office of withholding evidence related to Cohen.
However, the judge later determined that Trump’s concerns were unfounded. In the recent order issued on Friday, Merchan outlined that Trump had subpoenaed NBC on March 11 for documents concerning the documentary’s release date and any compensation provided to Daniels.
NBC subsequently requested the court to block the subpoena on March 20, stating that Daniels had no authority to approve the documentary’s content or its release timing.
