Trump’s legal representatives assert that Stormy Daniels declined to comply with a subpoena while in the vicinity of a Brooklyn establishment, with legal documents ceremoniously left unattended, resting gracefully at her feet

Donald Trump’s legal counsel avers that it endeavored to serve a subpoena upon Stormy Daniels upon her arrival at an establishment in Brooklyn last month. However, the adult film actress, anticipated as a witness in the former president’s legal proceedings, declined to accept it and departed.

A process server engaged by the former president’s legal team conveyed that he approached Daniels with documents soliciting information and records pertinent to a recent documentary chronicling her life and association with Trump. Regrettably, he was compelled to “abandon them at her feet,” as disclosed in a court submission made public on Wednesday.

“I declared her served upon identifying her and elucidating the nature of the documents,” articulated process server Dominic DellaPorte. “She neither acknowledged nor engaged with me, proceeding towards the venue, her countenance impassive.” This occurrence outside the 3 Dollar Bill nightclub initiated a protracted dispute between Trump’s legal representatives and Daniels’ counsel, persisting into the current week with the commencement of the presumptive Republican nominee’s trial in Manhattan.

Trump’s attorneys petition Judge Juan M. Merchan to enforce compliance with the subpoena against Daniels. Included in their submission is a photograph purportedly capturing Daniels as she departed.

Clark Brewster, counsel for Daniels, contends they never received the documentation. He characterizes the demands as an “unwarranted fishing expedition,” irrelevant to Trump’s trial.

“The timing of this process, initiated on the cusp of trial, appears calculated to harass or intimidate a lay witness,” Brewster articulated in an April 9 missive to Merchan. Brewster did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The hush money lawsuit marks the commencement of Trump’s four criminal cases proceeding to trial. Seven jurors have been empaneled thus far, with jury selection slated to resume on Thursday.

Daniels is anticipated to provide testimony concerning a $130,000 payment she received in 2016 from Michael Cohen, then one of Trump’s attorneys, purportedly to prevent her from disclosing a prior alleged sexual encounter with Trump.

Cohen was subsequently reimbursed by Trump’s company for this payment. Trump stands accused of falsifying his company’s records to conceal the nature of this transaction and other efforts undertaken to suppress negative coverage during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump entered a plea of not guilty last year to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He refutes allegations of a sexual encounter with Daniels. His legal team contends the payments to Cohen were lawful expenditures, accurately recorded.

In a separate submission unveiled on Wednesday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office indicated that if Trump opts to testify at trial, prosecutors intend to impugn his credibility by questioning him regarding recent legal setbacks. This submission, made under seal last month, details.

Trump was recently ordered to pay a $454 million civil penalty subsequent to a trial wherein a judge adjudged he had misrepresented his wealth on financial disclosures. In another proceeding, a jury awarded $83.3 million in damages to writer E. Jean Carroll after she accused Trump of sexual assault.

Merchan intends to convene a hearing on Friday to determine the admissibility of this evidence.

Pursuant to New York law, prosecutors may scrutinize witnesses regarding prior legal entanglements under certain circumstances. Trump’s attorneys oppose this. Trump has expressed a desire to testify but is under no obligation to do so and may opt to retract his intention.

Regarding the subpoena dispute, it represents the latest endeavor by Trump’s legal team to unearth potentially detrimental information concerning Daniels, a pivotal prosecution witness.

They seek an assortment of documents concerning the production and editing of the documentary “Stormy,” delving into Daniels’ trajectory in the adult film industry and ascent to notoriety following the public revelation of her purported involvement with Trump.

Additionally, they request disclosure of any remuneration received by Daniels for her participation in the film.

Trump’s legal representatives assert that the documentary’s debut on NBC’s Peacock streaming service last month, a mere week preceding the trial’s originally scheduled commencement, generated adverse publicity for Trump, thereby jeopardizing his right to a fair trial.

In the submissions unveiled on Wednesday, Trump’s attorneys accuse Daniels of “overtly seeking to bolster her personal brand and financial gain by virtue of her status as a witness.” The subpoena further demands access to communications between Daniels and other prospective witnesses in the trial, including Cohen and Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model alleging an affair with Trump, as well as any exchanges between Daniels and Carroll.

Earlier this month, Merchan rebuffed an effort by Trump to subpoena NBC Universal for information pertaining to the documentary, denouncing it as a “fishing expedition” in its quintessence.