[ad_1]
Michael Cohen's attorney claims that a secretly recorded conversation in 2016 shows Donald Trump mentioning "cash" in connection with a possible payment involving a former ex-Playboy model who claims to have had an affair. 39, a year with Trump.
Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, posted the recording on CNN, which aired Tuesday night. The audio recording, which was done by Cohen and is sometimes difficult to hear, comes after The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported last week on the existence of the recording.
Two months before the presidential election, the recording seems to show that Cohen, who at the time was Trump's personal attorney, was discussing "how to establish everything with funds". At one point, it seems that Trump asks "what funding?" and he seems to be asking for "pay in cash".
Cohen seems to say then, "No, no, no, no, no, I have …" before Trump is heard saying, or asking, "checks", and then the recording ends suddenly . Although the exact wording of the tape is not always clear, it is clear that Trump was aware of the allegation of the model's adventure and payment plans to ensure its silence.
The review reported Friday that the conversation had taken place in September 2016, shortly before the election and a month after American Media Inc., the publisher of The National Enquirer, had purchased the Playboy's ex-model's story rights, Karen McDougal, about the extramarital affair alleged 10 years earlier with the future president. Trump has denied any adventure.
Davis' publication of Audio Recording on CNN suggests an aggressive move by Cohen, Trump's former "solver", which is the subject of a federal inquiry.
Cohen also made a payment shortly before the election of $ 130,000 to another woman, adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who alleged a past love affair with Trump a night.
In the recording released by CNN, Cohen seems to say at one point: "I have to open a company to transfer all the information that our friend David has", which CNN reported was probably a reference to David Pecker , President and CEO of American Media.
Pecker, a friend of Trump, had paid McDougal for the rights of his story, but the Enquirer never published an article, a practice known in the tabloid industry like "catch and kill", which he intends to bury a story and that no other media has it. In the film, Trump and Cohen seem to talk about acquiring the rights of McDougal's story in the event that something happens to Pecker, like being hit by a bus, Trump suggests in the movie. It is believed that Trump has never made any payments to do this.
In an interview, Davis stated that Trump was not surprised by McDougal's accusation or the need to arrange some sort of payment for her.
"Donald Trump said that when the debate began, he publicly described the recording as the first time that he knew about McDougal's situation," Davis said. "You can not listen to the recording without saying that he knew exactly what Cohen was talking about."
Davis suggested to CNN that Trump's attorney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, had previously misrepresented the record saying that it was Trump who had insisted for that they do not use money.
Giuliani provided his own transcript of the conversation to CNN stating that Trump told Cohen: "Do not pay in cash … check."
"The transcription we provide to CNN faithfully reflects the recorded conversation," Giuliani said in a statement in the CNN article
.
Alan Futerfas, a Trump organization lawyer, said that the use of the word "cash" did not mean paper money.
"When the word" cash "is used, he is opposed to financing," Futerfas said. "It's like when you buy a house and someone tells you – are you going to apply for financing or are you going to pay in cash?" It's an identical context – no one expects or understands that you will appear with money. "
The recording was seized in April when the FBI attacked Cohen's office and hotel rooms," the Times reported, citing lawyers and other people familiar with the news. Recording.
Giuliani told Fox News Tuesday night that "the tape is a bit hard to hear, but I assure you we've heard it many times."
He stated in a phone interview with NBC News after the broadcast of the tape that "the president says clearly:" no money " and Cohen says: "no, no, no," and then the president says, "check," Giuliani said.
"The most important thing is that Cohen saves a client, which is disastrous for a lawyer, it's better if you forget to be a lawyer," Giuliani said. "The second major conclusion indicates that there was nothing criminal about it because they decided to do it through a corporation and from a company. a check. "
"And, by the way, the deal never happens," added Giuliani.
But Davis told NBC News: "Let's not forget the situation as a whole and let ourselves be carried away by what Trump and Giuliani want us to do, it's to be distracted by these same questions: idiocy ""
"For example, this tape, one might say, is a discussion of the price of silence," said Davis. It is a discussion about the payment of money to control the adverse information that could appear before an election. "
Davis said that Cohen had decided," No matter what happens to me, I will resume my life telling the truth. "
"Cohen is trying to restore his life and not be the shooter of Donald Trump, or worse, a punching bag for Donald Trump's defense strategy where he gets the bullets," said Davis. "It's your turn, it's a new determination to tell the truth whatever happens, even if it puts you in danger."
"He has more truths to say," Davis said. impact of this truth, but he has more to say. "
[ad_2]
Source link
