Stormy Daniels’ lawyer claimed Thursday during Donald Trump’s trial that the $130,000 she was paid “was not a reward, and it was not hush money.”
Keith Davidson was on the stand in Manhattan Supreme Court when he made the admission, cheekily testifying that he prefers to describe the deal — which was put together by then-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, with the porn star – as a “consideration in a civil settlement”. »
Trump is on trial for allegedly falsifying documents related to the payment.
Davidson defended a 2018 statement he wrote on behalf of Daniels, which claimed she never had a “sexual and/or romantic affair with Donald Trump,” by focusing on a very specific and technical definition of its formulation.
“I don’t think anyone has ever claimed that any interaction between her and Mr. Trump was romantic,” the lawyer said.
Davidson also said he “understood” that Daniels had indeed had sex with Trump despite the letter he wrote and his signature.
Daniels had been running her story about her alleged tryst with Trump in 2007 before the 2016 election and prosecutors say she was paid by Cohen to silence her.
The charges against Trump stem from his alleged falsification of business records by reimbursing Cohen for the $130,000 but listing it as “legal fees.”
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts and has denied having sex with Daniels, who may testify later in the trial.
Trump’s lawyers also revealed details of Davidson’s somewhat disreputable past dealings during a tense cross-examination, pointing out that he represented clients who received hush money from actor Charlie Sheen, and asking him if he had charged another client for leaking Lindsay Lohan’s medical records. TMZ.
“I don’t remember,” Davidson said when asked about the Lohan episode.
Davidson also described his relationship with Cohen, with whom he appears to have developed a good rapport.
He described how Trump apparently passed him over from a major cabinet position during a phone call on Dec. 9, 2016, he testified Thursday.
“Jesus Christ, can you believe I’m not going to Washington? Davidson remembers.
Cohen added, of Trump, that “I’ve saved this guy’s ass so many times you don’t even know it,” Davidson told jurors.
Cohen — who left the Trump Organization in 2018 and turned on his former employer — had previously spoken with Davidson about his hopes of being named attorney general or Trump’s chief of staff, Davidson told jurors.
He said Cohen said during the call that he had not yet been reimbursed for the money paid to Daniels.
“This fucking guy didn’t even pay me back the $130,000,” Cohen said, referring to Daniels’ payment.
Cohen was “depressed” and “disheartened” during the December 2016 call, which Davidson said took place while he was shopping at a California department store that he said was “oddly” decorated on the “Alice in Wonderland” theme which included displays of enormous rabbits.
“I thought he was going to kill himself,” Davidson recalled when asked again about the call during cross-examination by Trump lawyer Emil Bove.
The prosecution also presented recordings of calls made by Cohen, who was ultimately sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of tax evasion and making false statements in court.
In one, he tells Davidson of Trump: “I can’t even tell you how many times he told me, you know, ‘I hate the fact that we did it. ”
It appears in context that Cohen is referring to Daniels’ payment.
“And my comment was, ‘But everyone you talked to told you it was the right decision,'” Cohen adds on the recording.
Trump, 77, sat quietly observing the testimony at the defense table, wearing a navy suit, white shirt and mustard yellow tie.
The ex-president’s lawyers said Cohen’s upcoming trial testimony could not be trusted because the disbarred lawyer — who served prison time based on the same “hush money” payment » by Daniels – seeks revenge on Trump.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office admitted that Cohen had “baggage” but said a paper trail of evidence and testimony from other witnesses would support his account.
Trump faces up to four years in prison if convicted of falsifying business records.
After the day in court, Trump visited the New York City Police and Fire Department at the Midtown Fire Station on E 51st and brought them a stack of pizzas.
Munching on a slice of pepperoni, one firefighter told the Post, “It’s always special when a president shows up at your workplace.
“We had a conversation. I thanked him for coming, he thanked us. He’s a nice guy to come.
New York Post
