Trump tapes: Discussion to pay hush money to model secretly recorded by Michael Cohen. Listen
The US president and his former lawyer discussed paying Karen McDougal not to publish details of her alleged affair with Trump.
CNN obtained the tape of the Cohen-Trump conversation about Karen McDougal. Here the first part of it, which was just played live on @ChrisCuomo's show. pic.twitter.com/5N4X6Ew8GC
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2018
After it was reported last weekend that US President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen secretly recorded his conversation – in which Trump was heard discussing paying off a former model who claims she had an affair with him — the tape was aired on CNN.
The recording has Cohen and Trump discussing a payment to Karen McDougal, who claims that she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007. In 2016, Cohen had arranged a $150,000 deal between McDougal and American Media Inc., run by David Pecker, in which the media company promised to publish her fitness columns in exchange for her staying quiet about the alleged affair.
Cohen said that he needed to start a company “for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David,” likely referring to David Pecker. He then proceeded to discuss financing when Trump interrupted him and asked, “What financing?”
“We’ll have to pay,” Cohen responded.
Trump uses the words “pay with cash”, though it isn’t clear whether he means that the payment should or should not be made in cash.
Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis attacked Trump for lying about being unaware of the payment during his presidential campaign.
COHEN'S LAWYER, LANNY DAVIS: "We know that Trump has lied even during the campaign when his spokesman denied 2 months after this tape that he knew anything about McDougal. Ladies & gents, if you voted for Trump, listen to the tape and ask yourself, is Donald Trump lying?" pic.twitter.com/tQkFhdXsRB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2018
COHEN'S ATTORNEY: "Don't believe me. Listen to the tape & ask yourself, is it right for a president before he's elected to use the word 'cash,' which drug dealers & mobsters prefer so there's no tracking... & you hear Michael say, 'no, no, no, no.' That's truth...they are afraid" pic.twitter.com/vWcQ7HokKy
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2018
Alan Dershowitz, a lawyer and one of Trump’s prominent defenders, said on CNN that the tape revealed nothing that was an impeachable offence.
DERSHOWITZ: "There's no crime here. Worst-case scenario, take everything Lanny Davis says as true. There's no crime. There's no impeachable offense. This is all about how the president looks in the court of public opinion... I think they will win that fight b/c tape is ambiguous" pic.twitter.com/u6sb6RhArm
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2018
Here’s lawyer Michael Avenatti weighing in.
.@MichaelAvenatti on what he hears on Cohen tape: "I'm hearing two criminal co-conspirators conspiring on making a payment, and I'm hearing Michael Cohen being the sycophant that he is for the president." pic.twitter.com/cG3b4nTSEL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2018
AVENATTI: "My BS detector's off the chart right now. Cohen could have issued a written statement even if he didn't want to go on TV about what happened here. Where are the rest of the tapes? You don't get to claim love of country & being a patriot unless you do the right thing." pic.twitter.com/IiBvjOPbh6
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2018
Trump’s current lawyer Rudy Giuliani confirmed the recording, but said the President hadn’t done anything wrong. He also went on Fox News to defend Trump after the tape was aired.
Rudy Giuliani is on Fox News defending Trump by saying, "There's no way the president is going to be talking about setting up a corporation and then using cash, unless you are complete idiot." 🤔 pic.twitter.com/kESaQKYuqf
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2018
Trump tweeted his innocence and said it was “inconceivable” that Cohen had recorded him.
Inconceivable that the government would break into a lawyer’s office (early in the morning) - almost unheard of. Even more inconceivable that a lawyer would tape a client - totally unheard of & perhaps illegal. The good news is that your favorite President did nothing wrong!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 21, 2018
