Subpoena for NBCUniversal Blocked in Trump’s Upcoming Trial
Justice Juan Merchan has put a halt to Donald Trump’s attempt to subpoena Comcast-owned NBCUniversal in relation to a documentary about Stormy Daniels, a move that came ahead of the former president’s criminal trial set for April 15. The judge dismissed Trump’s allegations that Daniels and NBC conspired to release the film to harm his reputation as baseless. “His subpoena and the demands therein are the very definition of a fishing expedition,” Merchan stated in his court order.
Trump’s legal team and NBC Universal have not publicly responded to the development. The case against Trump involves accusations of concealing a $130,000 payment made by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to Daniels. This payment was allegedly for Daniels’ silence about an encounter she claims to have had with Trump in 2006. Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, has denied these allegations and pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The documentary at the center of the controversy, titled “Stormy,” debuted on March 18 on NBC’s Peacock streaming service. The trial, originally slated for March 25, was postponed after Trump raised concerns about the prosecution withholding evidence. These concerns were later dismissed by Merchan as unfounded.
On March 11, Trump issued a subpoena to NBC for documents concerning the timing of the trial’s premiere and any payments made to Daniels. NBCUniversal sought to block this subpoena on March 20, arguing that Daniels did not have control over the content or release date of the documentary.
Aside from the hush money case in Manhattan, Trump faces three other criminal indictments related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and his handling of sensitive government documents. No firm trial dates have been set for these cases, making the New York state court trial potentially the only one to proceed before the anticipated electoral battle with President Joe Biden on November 5.
