Donald Trump will be forced to hear an audio recording taken by his ex-attorney Michael Cohen ahead of the 2016 election during his hush money payment trial, prosecutors said.
The second week of Trump’s first criminal trial began on Monday, with the former president facing charges of falsifying business documents for allegedly making a hush money payment to adult-film actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 campaign. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office alleged the payment was intended to prevent Daniels from speaking publicly about her claims of an affair with the former president.
Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels and pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges. He maintains his innocence and has accused Bragg of targeting him for political purposes, equating the trial to a form of election interference.
During proceedings on Monday, prosecutors revealed that they plan to play the audio recording, taken by Cohen in September 2016, before the jury as the trial gets underway, according to Newsweek reporter Katherine Fung, who has reported on the trial from inside the courtroom.
Yuki Iwamura-Pool/Getty Images
Prosecutors said the jury will hear testimony from David Pecker, the former chairman of the National Enquirer’s parent company American Media Inc. (AMI), that the media organization would use its platform to publish flattering stories about Trump to help his election chances.
These efforts allegedly included paying Karen McDougal, a former model who also claimed to have had an affair with Trump, for rights to her story, only to suppress it until after he won the election.
Pecker allegedly became frustrated when he did not receive that payment from the Trump campaign, prosecutors said. In September 2016, Cohen recorded an audio tape with Trump about the payment that will be played in court. The former president is expected to present for all days of the trial, meaning he will also listen to the recording.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment via email.
Michael Cohen Audio Recording: What We Know
The recording from Cohen was aired on CNN in July 2018, roughly a year and a half into Trump’s presidency.
Cohen’s lawyers say the recording shows the two discuss the alleged payout for McDougal, but Trump’s layers have said their own transcript of the conversation shows that he broke no laws.
In the audio, Cohen is heard saying, “I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David.”
Trump is later heard to say: “So, what do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?”
When Cohen mentions financing, Trump says, “What financing?”
Cohen says: “We’ll have to pay.”
Trump appears to be heard saying “pay with cash” and Cohen replies “No, no, no.” Trump is then heard saying “check.”
Rudy Giuliani, who was the former president’s lawyer, told The Associated Press at the time that his enhanced recording showed Trump say “don’t pay with cash.”
Cohen was a onetime Trump ally but turned on him after serving a sentence for allegedly helping make hush payments to Daniels. He served three years in prison after pleading guilty to charges including lying to Congress, tax crimes and campaign finance violations but now frequently voices criticisms against the former president.
Uncommon Knowledge
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