Trump Sues Michael Cohen, the Key Witness Against Him
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Florida, accuses Mr. Cohen of revealing Mr. Trump’s confidences and “spreading falsehoods” about him.
By Maggie Haberman, Ben Protess, William K. Rashbaum and Jonah E. Bromwich
April 12, 2023 Updated 8:21 p.m. ET
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Donald J. Trump on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against his former fixer, Michael D. Cohen, just weeks after being indicted in a case in which Mr. Cohen is expected to serve as a star witness.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Florida, accuses Mr. Cohen of revealing Mr. Trump’s confidences and “spreading falsehoods” about him. It directly references Mr. Cohen’s role in the Manhattan district attorney’s criminal case against Mr. Trump, which stems from a hush-money payment Mr. Cohen made on the former president’s behalf in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
The case, while potentially far-fetched, suggests that Mr. Trump may be seeking to silence Mr. Cohen.
“It could be an attempt to pressure Michael Cohen not to testify, but that pressure is unlikely to work,” said Ellen C. Yaroshefsky, a professor specializing in legal ethics at Hofstra University’s law school.
She added that she did not think the lawsuit amounted to witness tampering under New York law, as it was not a direct attempt to interfere with Mr. Cohen’s testimony, and other legal experts concurred.
Yet in a statement on Wednesday, Mr. Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny J. Davis, argued, “Mr. Trump appears once again to be using and abusing the judicial system as a form of harassment and intimidation.” He added that Mr. Trump was apparently “terrified by his looming legal perils and is attempting to send a message to other potential witnesses who are cooperating with prosecutors against him.”
Christopher M. Kise, a lawyer representing Mr. Trump in a civil case that was brought by the New York attorney general and that Mr. Cohen’s testimony helped initiate, lashed out at Mr. Cohen, suggesting that he had lied in the past to various officials.
“He’s lied to everyone he’s ever come in contact with,” Mr. Kise said. “So at some point someone needs to hold this serial liar accountable.”
Mr. Trump’s lawsuit, brought by Alejandro
Brito, a lawyer in Coral Gables, Fla., seeks significant punitive damages against Mr. Cohen, but it seemed possible that the case would backfire. Last year, when the former president filed the lawsuit against the New York attorney general, Letitia James, who has sued Mr. Trump and his family business, some members of his legal team objected. There was similar dissent among his lawyers over whether to sue Mr. Cohen, people with knowledge of the matter said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/12/nyre ... wsuit.html