Pulitzer Prize Board Aggressively Demands Trump Disclose Years of Personal Records

The Pulitzer Prize Board has initiated an aggressive discovery demand aimed at compelling President Donald Trump to disclose years of personal records, including tax returns, financial documents, and comprehensive medical and psychological files, as part of his ongoing defamation lawsuit against the panel.

This request follows a 2022 lawsuit filed by Trump after the board refused to rescind the 2018 National Reporting Pulitzer Prizes awarded to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their reporting on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trump has maintained that this reporting was false and defamatory, causing significant reputational harm.

Attorneys for the Pulitzer Prize Board submitted a 12-page discovery request in Okeechobee County, Florida, on December 11, seeking extensive documentation to evaluate claims of reputational, emotional, and psychological damage. The filing was handled by law firms Ballard Spahr and Atherton Galardi Mullen & Reeder on behalf of 20 board members, described as prominent journalists, academics, and media executives.

If granted, the discovery request could compel Trump to make private medical information public, potentially sparking renewed scrutiny of his health. This scrutiny has intensified amid ongoing press attention regarding routine medical evaluations, including reports that Trump has undergone at least three “cognitive exams” this year and an MRI scan, as well as speculation over minor bruising observed on his hand.

The board is seeking Trump’s tax returns from 2015 to the present, detailed financial records, and complete medical and psychological documentation, including prescription medications. The filing asserts that such information is necessary to assess Trump’s claims for damages.

Additionally, the discovery demand requests information related to Trump’s prior legal actions and his allegations that the board’s statements influenced the 2020 presidential election.

A spokesperson for the president’s legal team stated: “President Trump is committed to holding those who traffic in fake news, lies, and smears to account. This case has always been about correcting the record, revealing the truth, and vindicating the president and his supporters against the lies told to the American people by the Democrats and their PR machine known as ‘legacy media.'”

In a prior statement, the Pulitzer Prize Board defended the awards: “Both reviews [of The New York Times and The Washington Post reporting] converged in their conclusions: that no passages or headlines, contentions or assertions in any of the winning submissions were discredited by facts that emerged subsequent to the conferral of the prizes.” The board maintained that “The 2018 Pulitzer Prizes in National Reporting stand.”

Trump has 30 days to respond to the discovery request, either by producing documents, challenging the scope of the demands, or asserting legal privilege.