A New York Judge has rejected an attempt by ex-President Donald Trump’s legal team to force NBC to hand over materials related to a Stormy Daniels documentary. Judge Juan Merchan called the request a “fishing expedition” and said it did not meet the legal standard to compel a news organization to provide unrestricted access to its reporting. This ruling comes just before a trial related to Trump and Daniels is set to begin on April 15, where Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records for alleged hush money payments.
The case focuses on payments made to Daniels through Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen to suppress her claims of an extramarital encounter with Trump during the 2016 campaign. Daniels is expected to be a key witness in the trial. Trump’s legal team had also tried to delay the trial until the US Supreme Court rules on his claims of presidential immunity in a separate case, however, this request was rejected as untimely.
Trump, who is set to run for president in 2024, faces multiple criminal cases including the New York hush money case, as well as cases in Florida, Washington, DC, and Georgia related to election interference and classified documents. The judge’s decision is the latest setback for Trump as he faces legal challenges on multiple fronts.
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