A New York judge overseeing one of Donald Trump's ongoing criminal trials on Friday blocked the former president's subpoena for materials related to Peacock’s recent Stormy Daniels documentary.
Justice Juan Merchan wrote in his court order that Trump's bid to subpoena the Comcast-owned footage “and the demands therein are the very definition of a fishing expedition.” (Reuters obtained a copy of the court order.)
Trump is currently on trial for allegedly trying to cover up an extra-marital affair with pornography star Daniels just before the 2016 election. He’s accused of having his fixer/lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, pay $130,000 to Daniels as hush money. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying government records. He also denies the alleged 2006 sexual affair with Daniels (whose real name is Stephanie Clifford) occurred.
Daniels corroborates the claim of the affair and the cover-up herself in the documentary Stormy, which dropped on Peacock on March 18.
Trump has accused Comcast and its NBCUniversal division, which own Peacock, of conspiring to time the documentary's premiere to coincide with this re-election bid. Trump and his lawyers have also expressed concern that Daniels was paid for her appearance.
The New York case is one of four criminal trials Trump is currently dealing with.
