In a written order Friday Judge Juan Merchan granted prosecutors motion to quash a subpoena from Donald Trump’s lawyers seeking to compel former Manhattan prosecutor Mark Pomerantz to turn over more records.
Merchan called Trump’s request for “all Documents” for a 13-month period from several individuals covering a range of topics including “Cohen’s recollection of interactions with President Trump” and “any form of bias or animosity toward President Trump” an improper fishing expedition.
Trump’s lawyers also asked for all documents relating to a February 2021 internal memo on “whether Stephanie Clifford a/k/a ‘Stormy Daniels,’ committed ‘extortion and or ‘larceny,’ and (b) whether President Trump was a ‘victim of blackmail.”
Merchan ruled Friday that the information is protected as privileged work product while also calling the request impermissibly broad. Merchan denied another request in the subpoena seeking years worth of communications between personnel within the Manhattan DA’s office calling it an apparent “attempt to obtain DANY’s internal communications about their discovery obligations.”
The order notes Trump’s legal team has received some discovery from Pomerantz as recently as March before the trial began.
