Trump Demands NY AG Letitia James Turn Over Cohen Communications After ‘Coercion’ Claim
President Donald Trump’s legal team is demanding that New York Attorney General Letitia James turn over all communications between her office and former Trump attorney Michael Cohen following claims that he was “pressured and coerced” into testifying against the president.
In a 25-page court filing submitted Wednesday, Trump’s lawyers asked for an order requiring James’ office to produce all records of communications with Cohen, including emails, letters, interview transcripts, notes, and recordings.
The request comes roughly a month before Trump’s legal team is due to submit a brief to the New York State Court of Appeals responding to James’ effort to reinstate the massive civil fraud penalty previously imposed against the president.
Last August, a mid-level appellate court threw out the more than $464 million judgment, which had grown to over $500 million with interest, ruling that the penalty was excessive.
Trump’s attorneys argue that Cohen’s testimony played a central role in the attorney general’s case and helped trigger the investigation into Trump, his family, and the Trump Organization.
“Cohen’s testimony is at the heart of the NYAG’s case,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in the filing, describing the investigation as politically motivated.
The legal team said the communications between Cohen and prosecutors are critical as they consider whether to pursue additional legal action to vacate the judgment entirely.
Trump’s attorneys also asked the court to require James’ office to confirm that all records related to Cohen have been preserved while litigation continues.
The demand follows a January 16 Substack post in which Cohen alleged that he felt pressured by prosecutors to provide testimony that supported cases against Trump.
“I felt compelled and coerced to deliver what they were seeking,” Cohen wrote in the post.
He further claimed that both James’ office and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg pushed him to provide testimony that would help secure judgments and convictions against the president.
“Letitia James and Alvin Bragg may not share the same office or political calendar, but they share the same playbook,” Cohen wrote.
Cohen testified during Trump’s civil fraud trial that he worked with former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg to inflate the value of Trump’s assets on financial statements.
In his Substack post, Cohen alleged that prosecutors made clear they wanted testimony that targeted Trump directly.
Trump’s legal team argues that communications between Cohen and the attorney general’s office should have been disclosed during the trial so they could be used in cross examination.
According to the filing, James’ office did not produce any records related to meetings or communications with Cohen despite defense requests.
Trump’s attorneys say they have contacted the attorney general’s office since Cohen’s post was published and demanded the records, but claim they have not received any materials.
The filing also alleges that the attorney general’s office said it did not know whether such records even exist and declined to investigate the matter further.
Trump’s lawyers called that position unacceptable, warning that key evidence could be deleted or lost if preservation steps are not taken.
“In sum, the NYAG is blocking any discovery into, and possibly even preservation of, evidence of the ‘pressured and coerced’ testimony that it used to convince the trial court to enter a wrongful judgment against Defendants,” the filing states.
James’ office is currently asking the New York State Court of Appeals to overturn the earlier appellate ruling that struck down the civil fraud penalty against Trump.
The outcome of that appeal could determine whether the massive financial judgment against the president is reinstated.