Twist in Trump tape tale as recording discussing ‘hush money’ goes public
▶ ‘We’ll have to pay,’ lawyer Michael Cohen can be heard in conversation with the future American president
A tape has been released in which US President Donald Trump discusses with his personal lawyer how to buy the rights to the story of a Playboy model who said she had an affair with him.
The existence of the tape, secretly recorded by his former lawyer Michael Cohen two months before the 2016 election, was reported last week by The New York Times and played by CNN on Tuesday night.
The Times said the FBI seized it during a raid on Mr Cohen’s office this year. Now, the recording is available for the world to hear.
Karen McDougal said she had a 10-month fling with Mr Trump after they met in 2006, shortly after his wife Melania gave birth to their son, Barron.
Mr Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, denies the affair took place. In the tape, Mr Trump and Mr Cohen talk about buying the rights to Ms McDougal’s story, which she had sold a month earlier to the National Enquirer for $150,000 (Dh550,900).
The tabloid never published the story. In the occasionally muddled recording, Mr Cohen says he wants to set up a company to acquire the rights off American Media, owner of the Enquirer.
The company acknowledged holding those rights when it relinquished them in April after Ms McDougal had filed a lawsuit against it. The company could not be reached for comment on whether it held any discussion about the transfer of the rights to Mr Trump.
During the campaign, the Trump team denied any knowledge of the deal between Ms McDougal and American Media.
But in the tape, Mr Trump expresses no surprise when the issue comes up and Mr Cohen talks about reimbursing the company for what it paid Ms McDougal.
“I need to open up a company for the transfer of all that info regarding our friend David,” Mr Cohen says, apparently referring to David Pecker, the head of American Media.
“When it comes time for the financing, which will be …” Mr Cohen says, at which point Mr Trump interrupts and says, “What financing?”
“We’ll have to pay …” Mr Cohen says, according to a CNN transcript of the conversation.
“We won’t pay with cash?” Mr Trump asks, according to the CNN transcript. Mr Cohen responds with “No, no”, but it is not clear what is said next.
The tape, made in September 2016, two months before the election, was provided to CNN by Mr Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, who said it was among audio recordings seized in the raid of Mr Cohen’s home and office in April.
It was turned over to federal prosecutors on Friday, according to a filing in federal court in Manhattan on Monday.
Mr Davis told the network that he released the recording to dispute an assertion by Mr Giuliani.
Mr Giuliani said the tape would show Mr Trump made it clear that if there was going to be a payment, it should be done by cheque, which could be easily traced. Mr Giuliani said the payment was never made. Mr Cohen, who has fallen out with Mr Trump, is under federal investigation in New York for possible bank and tax fraud, and for possible campaign law breaches linked to a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels and other matters related to the presidential campaign.
The discussion of any payment could support claims by the president’s critics, including groups such as Common Cause, that a payment benefited his presidential campaign and the failure to document it could be in breach of US election laws.