Trump derides recording’s legality
But the US president insists nothing illegal was committed
WASHINGTON— US President Donald Trump on Saturday questioned the legality of the recording his onetime lawyer Michael Cohen made of their discussion to pay off a Playboy model, Karen McDougal. Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said the recording showed nothing illegal was committed in September 2016, or two months before the polls. Cohen’s camp said Trump’s strategy was “flawed” and “false.”
WASHINGTON— US President Donald Trump on Saturday questioned the legality of the recording his onetime lawyer Michael Cohen made of their discussion to pay off a Playboy model who claimed to have had an affair with Trump.
“Inconceivable that the government would break into a lawyer’s office (early in the morning)—almost unheard of,” Trump posted on Twitter, referring to a raid on Cohen in April.
“Even more inconceivable that a lawyer would tape a client—totally unheard of; perhaps illegal. The good news is that your favorite President did nothing wrong!” Trump added.
Nothing illegal
Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani told Reuters on Friday that Cohen recorded a conversation with Trump in September, two months before the 2016 election.
In the recording, Trump and Cohen discussed buying the rights to a story by former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who said she had an affair with Trump.
On Saturday, Giuliani told Reuters the conversation was held at the Trump Tower and that Cohen used a hidden device to record the lawyer-client conversation.
Giuliani said no campaign funding was involved in the discussion between Trump and Cohen, who has distanced himself from Trump in recent months after a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
‘Flawed strategy’
But in a responding tweet on Saturday, Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis called Trump and Giu- liani’s strategy “flawed” and the president’s Twitter statement against Cohen “false.”
“Rudy claims the tape is ‘exculpatory.’ Why so angry?” Davis added.
Before the election, the Trump campaign denied any knowledge of payment to McDougal, but the taped conversation could undermine those denials.
Media firm involved
Giuliani said the conversation involved reimbursing the parent company of the National Enquirer tabloid, American Media Inc. (AMI), for McDougal’s story rights.
However, the payment was never made, he said.
“It’s pretty clear from the tape, it’s the first time Trump is finding out... AMI had bought the rights from McDougal,” Giuliani said in a short interview on Saturday.—