Jurors smile as text message jokes about Trump and Cohen read aloud in court
April 30, 2024
The afternoon court session in Donald Trump's hush money trial resumed with Keith Davidson, the ex-lawyer of adult movie actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy playmate Karen McDougal, recalling his conversations with the National Enquirer editor.
The pair had ben trying to sell stories about sexual relationships with Donald Trump to the tabloid.
Speaking about editor Dylan Howard, Davidson read some of the text message and email exchanges the two had before the 2016 election.
The jurors appeared to enjoy it.
"I want to give you a bit of color of what's happening inside the courthouse because, according to Laura Jarrett, jurors have been smiling as some text messages have been read," said MSNBC host Chris Jansing.
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She also read a few exchanges between the men.
The court broke into chuckles, for example, when Davidson read a text explaining no one wanted to deal with Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
Davidson had called the deal made with McDougal "frustrating for everybody involved."
Howard replied: "Yes, I believe so."
Testifying, Davidson said, "I told Cohen, Michael Cohen, this never would have happened without you, and the text back from Howard of the National Enquirer to Davidson was, 'He’s hopeless. Oh, well. Another one done."'
McDougal had been split between making deals with TV network ABC and AMI, the parent company of the National Enquirer. Ultimately, AMI won and McDougal agreed to the terms that her "life rights" about an affair with a married man would be handed over.
"Was there a particular married man?" prosecutors asked.
"Yes," said Davidson. "Donald Trump."
Prosecutors then asked if that meant that it would hurt his 2016 presidential campaign. Davidson said, "Yes."
See the clip below or at the link here.
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