Former President Donald Trump’s effort to subpoena Comcast-owned NBCUniversal for content linked to a recent documentary concerning adult film actress Stormy Daniels has been thwarted by a judge overseeing his impending criminal trial, scheduled for April 15.
Justice Juan Merchan dismissed Trump’s assertion that Daniels and NBC colluded to release the documentary in proximity to the trial to harm him, labeling it unsubstantiated.
In a court order, Merchan remarked, “His subpoena and the demands therein are the very definition of a fishing expedition.”
Trump faces allegations of concealing a $130,000 payment made by his former attorney Michael Cohen to Daniels to maintain her silence before the 2016 election regarding an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.
The ex-president, a Republican candidate, has entered a plea of not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying business records and refutes any such interaction with Daniels, known by her real name Stephanie Clifford.
Titled “Stormy,” the documentary premiered on NBC’s streaming platform Peacock in March
