Jurors Hear 2016 Recording of Trump Discussing Hush Money Payment

In a significant development in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial, jurors heard a 2016 recording of Trump discussing a plan to purchase the silence of former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who alleged an affair with him. The recording, secretly made by Trump's then-lawyer Michael Cohen, reveals Trump and Cohen discussing a $150,000 payment to McDougal.

Why this matters: This trial has significant implications for the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and the accountability of public officials. A guilty verdict could set a precedent for holding politicians accountable for illegal campaign finance practices.

The conversation, which took place on September 6, 2016, just weeks before the presidential election, lasted about two minutes. In the recording, Cohen is heard saying he had spoken to Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg about setting up a shell company to make the payment. Trump is heard asking, "What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?" He also suggests making the payment in cash, but Cohen objects, responding, "No, no, no, no, no, I got it."

The recording is a key piece of evidence connecting Trump to the hush money payments at the center of his criminal trial in Manhattan. Prosecutors are building a case accusing Trump of a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election by paying hush money to silence women with damaging claims about him. Trump's defense is working to poke holes in the credibility of prosecutors' witnesses and show that Trump was trying to protect his reputation and family, not his campaign, by keeping the women quiet.

Attorney Keith Davidson, who negotiated the deal for McDougal's silence, testified that he was stunned that his efforts might have contributed to Trump's White House victory. In a text to the then-editor of the National Enquirer, Dylan Howard, on election night, Davidson wrote, "What have we done?" to which Howard responded, "Oh my god." Davidson's testimony aimed to directly connect the hush money payments to Trump's presidential ambitions and bolster prosecutors' argument that the case is about interference in the 2016 election.

The recording was played as part of the testimony by expert witness Douglas Daus, who handles the processing of electronic devices for the Manhattan district attorney's office. Trump attorney Emil Bove attempted to raise doubt about the integrity of the material on Cohen's phone, suggesting it has been "subject to the risk of manipulation" somewhere in the chain of custody. Daus suggested that the recording abruptly ends because another call was coming in, but could not say with certainty why the call ended.

Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, punishable by up to four years in prison, for reimbursing Cohen and logging the payments as legal expenses. The charges stem from invoices and checks that were deemed legal expenses in Trump Organization records when prosecutors say they were really reimbursements to Cohen for the $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. As the second week of testimony wraps up, the recording is expected to come up again during the trial, potentially when Cohen is called to testify.

Key Takeaways

• Trump's 2016 recording discussing hush money payment to Karen McDougal played in court.
• Recording reveals Trump and Cohen discussing $150,000 payment to silence McDougal.
• Prosecutors argue hush money payments illegally influenced the 2016 presidential election.
• Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, punishable by up to 4 years in prison.
• Recording is key evidence connecting Trump to hush money payments at center of criminal trial.