Michael Cohen, former attorney for Donald Trump, revealed during Trump’s hush-money trial that he had secretly recorded conversations with the former president. In these recordings, Trump could be heard speaking in a mafia-like code, discussing the reimbursement of funds to a publisher for the purpose of silencing Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who alleged she had an affair with Trump. Cohen did not seek Trump’s permission to record these conversations and claimed that Trump preferred to communicate in vague terms, similar to a mafia boss.
Trump, who is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to McDougal and adult film star Stormy Daniels, has denied any wrongdoing. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, stating that they are politically motivated. In the recordings, Cohen discussed sending “information,” which he explained was a code for money, to “our friend David,” referring to David Pecker, the National Enquirer publisher who had facilitated the payments to McDougal on Trump’s behalf. Legal experts have noted that the recordings support Cohen’s claims about Trump’s communication style.
John J. Perlstein, a senior Los Angeles litigator, commented on the recordings, suggesting that the jury and the public may be inclined to believe Cohen’s account due to the lack of clarity in Trump’s communication. Perlstein noted that Trump’s ambiguous language could be interpreted as evidence against him in the trial. Cohen, who previously testified about Trump’s communication style at a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing in 2019, has since become a vocal opponent of the former president, engaging in social media attacks with Trump.
Prosecutors in the hush-money trial have alleged that Cohen made illegal campaign contributions on Trump’s behalf, including a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, which was intended to silence her and influence the 2016 presidential election. Cohen was later reimbursed for this payment, leading to charges of campaign finance violation, tax fraud, and other offenses. The cross-examination of Cohen began on Tuesday and is expected to continue on May 20, with the recordings of Trump’s conversations likely to play a significant role in the proceedings. Trump’s attorney has not yet provided a comment on the recordings or Cohen’s testimony.
