Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump has sued the key witness in his criminal case, accusing onetime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen of “vast reputational harm” for talking publicly about the hush-money payments at the heart of the case. The lawsuit, filed in Miami, offers a preview of arguments that are certain to be featured in Trump’s defence against charges that he falsified internal business records to disguise payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of extramarital sexual encounters. The lawsuit is the latest effort by Trump to use the legal system to go after his political enemies and is another example of the former president turning on a once-loyal aide after their relationship imploded.