After Cohen appeared before the Manhattan grand jury that led to Trump's indictment, the former US president filed a lawsuit against Cohen, seeking at least $500 million in damages. This comes as the former US president intensifies his criticism of the former "fixer" for Trump.
Cohen was charged with violating a confidentiality agreement he agreed to as a condition of his job, disregarding legal ethical rules, and "spreading falsehoods" about Trump "with malicious intent and to wholly self-serving ends," according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday in Miami, provided a sneak peek at the arguments that will undoubtedly be used in Trump's defense against claims that he fabricated internal financial records to hide payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to stifle allegations of extramarital affairs.
Although Trump is not expressly suing Cohen for his grand jury testimony in the criminal case, he uses it to bolster the claim that his former lawyer tried to capitalize on his involvement by publishing two books, starting a podcast, and making media appearances.
The lawsuit won't stop Cohen from cooperating with prosecutors, according to Cohen's spokesperson, lawyer Lanny Davis.
According to Davis, "Mr. Trump appears to be abusing the legal system once more to harass and intimidate Michael Cohen." He seems to be afraid of the impending legal repercussions and is making an effort to make a statement to other potential witnesses who are siding with the prosecution against him.
The lawsuit is Trump's most recent attempt to use the legal system to pursue his political adversaries. It also serves as another another illustration of how the former president has turned on a former adviser after their relationship fell apart.
It happens at a time when Cohen, who previously declared he would "do anything" to defend Trump, seems set to be a key witness against him in a potential criminal trial in New York based on the accusations made public last week. Trump, who intends to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024, entered a not-guilty plea to 34 counts of falsifying corporate records. It was the initial time a former US president has been accused of a crime.
Stormy Daniels, a porn star who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, received $130,000 in hush money prior to the 2016 elections, according to prosecutors led by Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. They claim Trump covered up his reimbursement of Cohen. Trump denies there is such a connection.
Trump's complaint claimed that Cohen made up conversations with him while working as his attorney and incorrectly referred to him as a "racist" in his 2020 book, Disloyal.
The lawsuit stated that the publication of Disloyal so close to the November 3, 2020 presidential election "suggests that (Cohen) intended to improperly disclose (Trump's) confidences at a time when it would be most profitable to do so – and while Disloyal would be sure to have the most damaging reputational effect."
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