Donald Trump filed Wednesday against his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who became a prosecutor’s witness in the case that led to a trial against the former United States president by a New York judge.
The Republican magnate, who accuses Michael Cohen of violating professional secrecy and the confidentiality agreement between the parties, is seeking damages of 500 million dollars (about 455 million euros).
In his complaint, filed in federal court in Florida, Trump alleges that the former attorney “disparaged him in books, podcasts, and public statements to gain money and notoriety.”
According to the former US president, Michael Cohen has “disclosed confidence” and “spread lies”, which has “seriously damaged his image”.
Nicknamed “Donald Trump’s ‘pit bull’,” Michael Cohen once said he was willing to “take a bullet” for his boss.
Shortly before the 2016 presidential election, Cohen paid $130,000 out of pocket to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, to keep a secret about a sexual relationship he allegedly had with Donald Trump in 2016.
In January 2018, the Wall Street Journal revealed this transaction and initially Michael Cohen protected Trump by ensuring he was never paid back.
However, the article aroused the interest of justice, who recently impeached Donald Trump.
The indictment alleges that the former president orchestrated a scheme to pay for the silence of three people who could harm his 2016 presidential campaign, including pornographic actress Stormy Daniels.
Alvin Bragg explained in a statement that payments were made in exchange for silence to a doorman at Trump Tower who claimed to have information about Trump’s extramarital paternity case (received $30,000), to a woman who presented herself as an ex-lover ($150,000) and pornographic actress Stormy Daniels.
The Republican, already a candidate for the new White House race in 2024, became the first former president to be charged with a crime in the US after denouncing a “political prosecution” for justice.
Source: DN
