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☆ Trump trial resumes after infamous Cohen phone call tape is played for jury
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the first day of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024 in New York City. The lawyer, Keith Davidson, negotiated six-figure hush money deals for porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal ahead of the 2016 presidential election. On the night Trump won that election, Davidson texted the Enquirer's then-editor in chief, "What have we done?" But he added that he and the top editor, Dylan Howard, understood at the time that "our activities may have in some way assisted the presidential campaign of Donald Trump." Jurors heard a recording of Trump saying asking Cohen, "So what do we got to pay for this — 150?"

Persons: Donald Trump, Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, Trump, Daniels, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Judge Juan Merchan, Merchan, Davidson, Trump's, Michael Cohen, David Pecker, Dylan Howard, Douglas Daus, Cohen, McDougal Organizations: U.S, Manhattan Criminal, Prosecutors, New, Trump, Manhattan, Attorney, National Enquirer, American Media Locations: New York City, New York

☆ Who is Hope Hicks, longtime Trump aide who is testifying in NY hush money case?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Michelle Shen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Washington CNN —Hope Hicks, once a longtime trusted aide in Donald Trump’s inner circle, is testifying Friday in the New York hush money trial after being subpoenaed. As CNN reported previously, Hicks appeared before the grand jury last year before Trump was indicted, as did Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway. According to reporting from “The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021,” Trump is quoted as saying, “Well, Hope doesn’t believe in me.”“No, I don’t,” Hicks replied, according to the book. “Nobody’s convinced me otherwise.”In October 2022, Hicks testified before the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. In a video clip played by the committee, Hicks testified about a conversation she had with Trump after the election, regarding his baseless claims of election fraud.

Persons: Washington CNN — Hope Hicks, Donald Trump’s, “, ” Hicks, Hicks, Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Rob Porter, Trump’s, Porter, ” Trump, Hope doesn’t, ”, “ Nobody’s, Trump “, ’ ” Hicks, Daniels, ” Cohen, Prosecutors, upended, –, David Pecker, Dylan Howard, Stephanie Clifford, I’ve, Sheila Jackson Lee, Jerry Nadler, Nadler, ’ Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Trump, Trump Organization, White, House Intelligence, Fox News, Trump White, House, Capitol, Politico, US, of, American Media Inc, AMI, National Enquirer, FBI, ” Prosecutors, Democratic Rep, New York Democrat Locations: New York, Southern, of New York, Trump’s

☆ Opinion: How one text exchange gave Trump an ominous day in court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Norm Eisen Courtesy Norm EisenIn Donald Trump’s Manhattan election interference trial, the case is coming in better than expected, and that is ominous for the former president. The prosecution asked Davidson to explain the meaning of a text he had sent to Howard that evening. As the election was about to be called for Trump, Davidson sent a text to Howard asking, “What have we done?”Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Davidson what the meaning of those words were. It also highlighted the stakes here: Unlike Trump’s 2020 election interference cases pending in Georgia and federal court, the unlawful effort to impact the election alleged in this case might have actually worked. I was watching the jury closely when Davidson spoke, and they were riveted.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, CNN CNN —, Norm Eisen, Donald Trump’s, Keith Davidson, Davidson, Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Michael Cohen, Daniels, David Pecker, Cohen, Dylan Howard —, Howard, Joshua Steinglass, ”, Matthew Colangelo Organizations: CNN, CNN CNN, American Media, Inc, National Enquirer, Trump, Twitter Locations: ”, Donald Trump’s Manhattan, Georgia

☆ Stormy Daniels' lawyer says 'extremely strict reading' of her earlier Trump affair denial was true because the relationship wasn't 'romantic'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Davidson testified on Thursday that "an extremely strict reading of this statement would technically be true" based on how he would parse "affair," "romantic," and "and/or." Asked by Steinglass whether "there was a sexual encounter" between Daniels and Trump, Davidson said he believed there was. Related storiesDavidson also said the statement's denial of rumors that Daniels "received hush money" from Trump was also true, because he "would never use that word." Advertisement"There wasn't hush money. Cohen worked at all hours trying to keep the narrative under control, sending text messages "with little regard for my schedule," Davidson testified.

Persons: —, Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump —, Joshua Steinglass, Davidson, Daniels, Michael Cohen, Davison, Donald Trump, Trump, reimbursements, Cohen, MARK PETERSON, Dylan Howard, Jimmy Kimmel, Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood Roosevelt Organizations: Service, Trump, Business, Manhattan, Attorney's, Manhattan Criminal, Getty, National Locations: New York City, Hollywood

☆ Live Updates: Stormy Daniels's Lawyer to Return to Stand in Trump Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records to hide the payment to Ms. Daniels. He has denied the felony charges, and having had sex with Ms. Daniels and Ms. McDougal. The tabloid had agreed to buy negative stories about Mr. Trump and then bury them. Image Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former fixer, was the point of contact for a lawyer seeking to sell stories. Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, is planning rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan — both battleground states — on Wednesday.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Juan M, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Keith Davidson, Karen McDougal, she’d, Daniels, McDougal, Davidson, Dylan Howard, . Bauer, Griffin, ”, Howard, Mr, Ms, Michael D, Cohen, Justice Merchan, Michael Cohen, Gary Farro, Dave Sanders, Todd Blanche, Farro, Blanche, Cohen “, Melania Trump, Barron’s, Merchan Organizations: National Enquirer, Trump, Trump . Credit, Getty, Trump Organization, First Republic Bank, The New York Times, Prosecutors, SPAN, Republican Locations: Los Angeles, Trump ., Wisconsin, Michigan

☆ Hush-money texts reveal tawdry bidding war over a porn star, a Playboy model, and their tales of Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"Every single time I talked to Michael Cohen, he leaned on his close affiliation with Donald Trump," Davidson testified. Advertisement"It was part of his identity," the lawyer told jurors of Cohen. When Daniels' lawyer responded "Yup," the Enquirer editor responded, "I reckon that trump[sic] impersonator I hired has more cash." At another point, Cohen claimed the Trump Organization computer systems were, "quote, all fucked up," Davidson told the jury. "I called him and said, Michael, this is a very bad situation," he said he told Cohen.

Persons: —, Donald Trump —, Playboy Bunny, Keith Davidson, Bunny Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Melania Trump, Trump, Davidson, Trump's, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Daniels, Donald Trump, Dylan Howard, texted, Ethan Miller, Raymond Hall, Joshua Steinglass, Yom Kippur, Michael, Steinglass, he's, Karen McDougal, Playboy Bunny —, Howard, McDougal, Davidson — Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, National Enquirer, Manhattan DA, Getty, Trump Organization, Enquirer, National, GOP Locations: LA

☆ Lawyer for Stormy Daniels Exposes Seamy Underside of Celebrity
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Michael Rothfeld | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The tantalizing text message was sent by a lawyer for a former Playboy model to the editor of The National Enquirer. “I have blockbuster Trump story,” read the message sent in 2016 by the Los Angeles lawyer, Keith Davidson, who was on the witness stand as prosecutors posted it Tuesday morning for jurors at Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial. The editor, Dylan Howard, asked in response: “did he cheat.”The texts were an evocative beginning to testimony that laid bare the seamy ways celebrity scandal is leveraged and sold. In this case, it was a deal negotiated by Mr. Davidson for Karen McDougal, the model, who wanted to rejuvenate her career by leveraging her story of a romantic affair with Mr. Trump. She has said the liaison began in 2006 after he was already married to his current wife, Melania.

Persons: “, ”, Keith Davidson, Donald J, Dylan Howard, Davidson, Karen McDougal, Trump, Melania Organizations: National Enquirer, Los, Mr Locations: Los Angeles

CNN —Judge Juan Merchan handed down his first punishment to Donald Trump for violating the judge’s gag order in the New York hush money trial Tuesday, fining Trump $9,000 for nine violations. Instead, Davidson negotiated a $130,000 hush money deal with Cohen on Daniels’ behalf, and she did not speak out publicly before the 2016 election. In his order, the judge warned Trump that he could be imprisoned if he continues to willfully violate the gag order. “All you have to do is talk to that a**hole Cohen,” Davidson recalled. His son, Eric Trump, attended the trial – the first family member of the former president to appear during the trial.

Persons: Juan Merchan, Donald Trump, fining, Daniels, Karen McDougal, Keith Davidson, Trump’s, Michael Cohen, Davidson, Cohen, Trump, –, Merchan, David Pecker, “, ” Merchan, Stormy’s, McDougal, ’, Dylan Howard –, Gina Rodriguez, “ It’s, ” Davidson, Rodriguez, Peggy Peterson, David Dennison, Joshua Steinglass, Dennison, ” Steinglass, ” Cohen, Gary Farro, Daniels ’, Farro, ” Trump, “ Michael Cohen, He’s, Judge Merchan didn't, Jean Carroll, Prosecutors, Melania Trump, Eric Trump, Susie Wiles, Ken Paxton, David McIntosh, Barron’s Organizations: CNN, fining Trump, Trump, AMI, Prosecutors, American Media Inc, Daniels . Records, Bank, Twitter, Club for Growth, Mar Locations: New York, LA, Texas

☆ Stormy Daniels’s Attempt to Sell Her Story Began the Road to Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Michael Rothfeld | More About Michael Rothfeld | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Stormy Daniels tried to benefit from Donald J. Trump’s political momentum in early 2016, setting off the saga that ultimately resulted in his criminal trial. Mr. Howard thought her story had little value because it had already been written about on a gossip site in 2011. At the time, she had publicly denied the encounter. A month before the presidential election, her story’s value suddenly increased. On Oct. 7, 2016, The Washington Post published a recording of Mr. Trump on the set of “Access Hollywood” talking about groping women.

Persons: Stormy Daniels, Donald J, Dylan Howard, Trump, Daniels, Howard Organizations: National Enquirer, Washington Post Locations: Lake Tahoe, Nev

☆ Trump feared for campaign, not family, as sex scandals were caught and killed, ex-Enquirer CEO tells hush-money jury
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

When a porn star and Playboy Bunny both came forward, Trump feared for voters, not family, Pecker told jurors. Then, in swift succession and with the 2016 election just months away, a Playboy Bunny and a porn star appeared with more sex scandals. But in the months before the 2016 election, all Trump worried about was his voters, Pecker testified on his third day on the stand. "I thought his concern was with the campaign," Pecker added. Pecker told jurors he had been investigated by California officials for just this sort of thing more than a decade before Trump's 2016 campaign.

Persons: David Pecker, Playboy Bunny, Trump, Pecker, —, Donald Trump, Dino Sajudin, Bunny Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Joshua Steinglass, Steinglass, Daniels, Michael Cohen, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Bragg, Dylan Howard, Trump's, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold, Howard, Howard texted, Cohen, Karen, McDougal, Michael, Jeff Sessions Organizations: National Enquirer, Service, Trump, Enquirer, Trump Organization, Attorney, American Media International, AMI, Prosecutors, McDougal's, Federal, Commission Locations: Manhattan, California, Australia

☆ Former National Enquirer boss reveals sleazy tactics the tabloid used to protect Donald Trump and smear his rivals
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But on Tuesday, former National Enquirer boss David Pecker lifted the curtain on the actual media collusion that took place in the 2016 election. Pecker revealed in granular detail how Trump worked hand-in-hand with the infamous national tabloid to boost his candidacy and, perhaps far more importantly, simultaneously smear his political opponents with shameful lies and innuendo. Meanwhile, Pecker worked with Cohen to smear Trump’s Republican rivals in the 2016 primary, including Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio. At times, Pecker said that Cohen went as far as to contact him and direct the Enquirer to attack Trump’s GOP rivals. When the Enquirer published negative stories about Bill and Hillary Clinton, Pecker said that Trump was elated.

Persons: Donald Trump, David Pecker, Pecker, Trump, “, ” Pecker, Michael Cohen, Karen McDougal’s, ”, Dino Sajudin, Cohen, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, “ Michael Cohen, — Michael Cohen —, Hillary Clinton, Dylan Howard, we’re, Rupert Murdoch’s, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: New York CNN, Democratic Party, National Enquirer, Trump Organization, Trump, GOP, Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, MAGA Media, Fox, Fox News Locations: New York, Pecker, Manhattan

☆ Hope Hicks, Kellyanne Conway, key to Trump's 2016 win, could harm his 2024 run by directly linking him to hush money
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kellyanne Conway and Hope Hicks have met with prosecutors probing a 2016 Trump hush money payment. Both could directly link Trump to the payment, federal prosecutors have said in the past. Hicks, Trump's 2016 campaign press secretary and later his White House communications director, was seen Monday afternoon arriving at a lower Manhattan office building used in the DA's investigation, the Associated Press reported. Conway, Trump's campaign manager turned senior advisor, likewise met with the DA on Wednesday, the New York Times reported. But both Hicks and Conway were implicated in documents from the time as being aware of the payments to Daniels.

☆ Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen expects to testify 'very soon' to grand jury
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"I look forward to speaking and to being presented before the grand jury," Cohen told NBC News and other reporters. A former top advisor to Trump, Kellyanne Conway, met with the DA's office on Wednesday, The New York Times reported. Michael Cohen , the former personal lawyer to Donald Trump , said Friday that he believes he will "very soon" be called to testify before a New York grand jury collecting evidence in a criminal probe of the former president. In Daniels' case, Cohen paid her $130,000, but in McDougal's case, the then-parent company of the supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer paid her $150,000. In addition to the Manhattan DA's probe, Trump faces three other criminal investigations.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg established a grand jury for another Trump investigation. The special grand jury is hearing evidence over whether Trump broke laws with his 2016 hush-money payment. The case is being heard by a special grand jury, according to the Times, which sits for six months rather than the standard single month. Bragg's predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., allowed members of his team to bring evidence to a grand jury over potential tax and bank fraud charges. According to the Times, to bring felony charges against Trump, prosecutors would need to prove he falsified records for the payment to conceal a second crime.

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