Trump's Trials - Jurors hear secret recording of Trump discussing payment to former Playboy model

Episode Date: May 2, 2024

For this episode of Trump's Trials, All Things Considered host Juana Summers speaks with NPR's Andrea Bernstein.Stormy Daniels' former attorney Keith Davidson wrapped up his testimony on Thursday in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump. The jury heard some dramatic audio of Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen talking about payments to former Playboy model Karen McDougal and Daniels. But the defense became combative in cross-examining Davison.Topics include:- Davidson's testimony- Tape of Trump and Cohen played for the jury- What's next for proceedingsFollow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for new episodes each Saturday.Sign up for sponsor-free episodes and support NPR's political journalism at plus.npr.org/trumpstrials.Email the show at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's Trump's Trials from NPR. I'm Scott Detro. We love Trump! This is a persecution. He actually just stormed out of the courtroom. Innocent to proven guilty in a court of law. The key witness so far this week at former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York City is a man named Keith Davidson. He was Stormy Daniels' lawyer during many of the key moments in 2016 when cover-up payments were allegedly negotiated in order to keep Daniels quiet about her alleged

affair with Trump. Davidson wrapped up his testimony today, and after the break we will hear from NPR's reporter in the courthouse about what he said and what the lawyers on each side focused on during testimony and cross-examination. We'll also hear about some dramatic phone call recordings played for the jury. So stick around for that and then make sure to check your podcast feed again on Saturday for a full recap of what happened in the trial this week and what it means. In this country, more than two local newspapers are closing down each week. As news deserts grow, public radio is a lifeline for staying informed. Keep that service strong with a donation to the NPR network at donate.npr.org. And thank you.

Here at Planet Money, we bring complex economic ideas down to Earth. We find weird, fun, interesting stories that explain the way money shapes our lives. Inflation, recessions, the price of gas, we've got you. Listen now to the Planet Money podcast from NPR. You're listening to Trump's Trials. I'm Scott Detro. And now here's one of Summers. Stormy Daniels former attorney Keith Davidson wrapped up his testimony today in the criminal

trial of Donald Trump. And there was some dramatic audio of Trump that was played to the jury. But the defense team pushed hard at Davidson over his truthfulness. And PR's Andrea Bernstein joins us from outside the courthouse. Hi there. Hey. So Andrea, Davidson represented both Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress, and Karen McDougall, the former Playboy model in their hush money settlements. What new did we learn from his testimony? Davidson really went over the TikTok of the deal with Stormy Daniels today, showing how

he drew up an agreement between two pseudonyms, Peggy Peterson for Daniels and David Adenason for Trump. And how by late October, when then-Trump attorney Michael Cohen still hadn't paid up, Davidson told him the deal was off. But Trump's friends at the National Enquirer patched things up and Cohen himself came up with $130,000, telling Davidson, F, I'll just do it myself. That is that he, Cohen, would front the settlement money. The money was paid and not even two weeks later on election night, Davidson texted his contact at the National Enquirer saying, what have we done?

SONIA DARA So the crimes alleged in this case falsifying business records in the first degree all had to do with the events that happened after the election. Did Davidson shed any light on that? Just a little. He described a scene where he was doing some Christmas shopping in early December 2016. He said it was at a big box store that was strangely decorated like Alice in Wonderland with huge rabbits and cats in the hats on the ceiling and Cohen calls him while he's there Just fondant saying and using language. I can't say on the radio

Can you believe I am not going to Washington after everything I have done for that guy? I didn't even get paid that guy is not paying me the hundred thirty thousand dollars back So that leads to the question for future witnesses, how did the plan to reimburse Cohen and those 11 payments come about? Did Davidson say whether Trump knew that Cohen was paying Stormy Daniels? At the end of Davidson's testimony, prosecutors played a tape of Michael Cohen telling Davidson in a phone call that, quote, he hates the fact that we did it, referring, as Davidson understood it, to discussions with Donald Trump. But the defense really leaned into the fact that Davidson had never spoken to Trump or

been in the same room as him before this Tuesday, and that Trump himself never signed the agreement which had those code names, Peggy Peterson and David Dennison. The line above the name David Dennison, Trump's pseudonym is blank. Okay. So is there evidence that Trump knew about the deal? Prosecutors played some tape late this afternoon introduced through a cyber researcher in the DA's office. It was made in September of 2016. So after the Karen McDougal deal, but before Stormy Daniels emerged. But you could hear how specifically Cohen discussed these arrangements with Trump,

bearing stories, financing. Everyone came to attention when you could hear Trump's voice. He says, all you've got to do is delay and then Cohen interrupts. I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David, you know, so that I'm gonna do that right away. Andrea, you're there outside the courthouse for us. Tell us what comes next. So we ended the day with cross-examination of that cyber expert. He's gonna go on tomorrow, but jurors were left today with a question about

chain of custody and whether the transfer of his phones, of Cohen's phones and devices from the FBI to the DA could have altered what's on them. We'll hear more from this witness tomorrow. We don't know who's next, but still on the witness list, former White House aide Hope Hicks, Michael Cohen, and Stormy Daniels. That is NPR's Andrea Bernstein outside the courthouse. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks for listening to Trump's Trials from NPR. Keep an eye out for more episodes like this whenever big news happens. And we'll be back later this week with our rake of the show on Saturday.

I'm Scott Detro. Over the past couple decades, the U.S. has lost about a third of its newspapers, taking thousands of local journalists off their beats. A functioning democracy and functioning local journalism go hand in hand. We're trying to do our part, and that's why we need you to do your part. Make sure that the NPR network stays strong by supporting us at donate.npr.org. And thank you. I'm Miles Parks. I cover voting and election security for NPR. Across the NPR network, we report rigorously on the forces seeking to disrupt democracy

and provide communities with reliable information. It's Public Media Giving Days, the perfect time to stand with the facts by donating now at donate.npr.org. Thank you. Is it possible to engineer our way out of the climate crisis? Some entrepreneurs want to shoot particles into the stratosphere to combat global warming. Experts say regulations on this technology aren't keeping up.

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