President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen did threaten Fordham University with legal action if it publicly revealed Trump’s grades and standardized test scores, the university has confirmed.
In a statement to Associated Press, a spokesperson from Fordham University confirmed that in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election, the school received a call from a member of Trump’s team, followed by a letter which threatened the school with a lawsuit if it didn’t comply with Trump’s directive.
“We told the caller that Fordham is bound by federal law, and that we could not/would not reveal/share any records (as we would not reveal any student records) with anyone except Mr. Trump himself, or any recipient he designated, in writing,” Bob Howe, director of communications for the university, told The Fordham Ram.
“Fordham received a follow-up letter from one of Mr. Trump’s attorneys summarizing the call and reminding us that they would take action against the University if we did, in fact, release Mr. Trump’s records,” he said.
The university confirmation came one day after Cohen testified before the House Oversight Committee, where he discussed the threats and other actions he carried out when he was working for Trump.
“When I say conman, I’m talking about a man who declares himself brilliant but directed me to threaten his high school, his colleges, and the College Board to never release his grades or SAT scores,” Cohen said in his testimony.
“As I mentioned, I’m giving the Committee today copies of a letter I sent at Mr. Trump’s direction threatening these schools with civil and criminal actions if Mr. Trump’s grades or SAT scores were ever disclosed without his permission,” he added.
