TO UPDATE: The lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels in her $130,000 settlement with Michael Cohen – who prosecutors say acted on behalf of Donald Trump – was confronted on the witness stand today about his past dealings in previous cases involving Hulk Hogan, Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan and Tia Tequila were involved.
Keith Davidson, cross-examined by Trump’s lawyer Emil Bove, admitted that he was under investigation in 2012 by police in Tampa, Florida, and the FBI in connection with a video in which Hogan – his real name Terry Bollea’s name is – had sex with a friend’s wife. The tape was eventually published by the now-defunct gossip site Gawker.
Davidson, a prosecution witness in Trump’s hush-money trial in Manhattan, also admitted that he was the target of a law enforcement sting operation in which conversations at a meeting with Bollea about the video were secretly recorded.
Bove said Tampa police were concerned about “extortion” based on previous statements he attributed to Davidson, including telling Bollea’s representatives that the Gaffer The revelations were “a shot across the bow” and he wanted a million dollars to keep the records secret. Davidson, who was never charged, denied trying to extort anyone and said he offered to sell the sex tape to Bollea.
Davidson repeatedly said under cross-examination that he could not recall any specific statements he may have made.
“This experience has introduced you to extortion law, right?” Bove asked.
“Maybe, I don’t know,” Davidson replied.
Bove wanted to connect that experience to Davidson’s 2016 negotiations in which Karen McDougal was supposed to sell and hide her story of an affair with Trump.
“One of your concerns was to stay on the right side of the law when it came to extortion, wasn’t it?” Bove asked.
“I suppose so,” Davidson replied.
In conversations that grew increasingly heated, Bove also brought up Davidson’s connections to a TMZ revelation that actress Lohan was in rehab, a sex tape involving model and actor Tequila, and clients who received settlements from actor Sheen.
“Is it fair to say that your memory seems to be a bit fuzzy on these topics?” asked Bove. Davidson responded that he had more than 1,500 clients and that he was asked to recall events from several years ago. He also declined to discuss a $2 million settlement paid by Sheen to a client, citing attorney-client privilege.
Davidson contradicted Bove, saying he “demanded” money from Sheen. “And if you’re not here to play legal games,” he replied to Bove, “then don’t say ‘extract’.”
During a discussion about the tequila sex tape, Bove asked, “You don’t recall that you were subject to a 90-day bar ban at the time of this transaction?”
“I don’t remember,” Davidson replied.
On his second day on the witness stand, Davidson ended his direct examination by declaring that a statement he wrote for Daniels was “technically true,” even though it said: “Rumors that I received hush money from Donald Trump are true.” totally wrong.”
It was January 10, 2018, a year into Donald Trump’s presidency, and The Wall Street Journal It took two more days to publish an exposé headlined “Trump Lawyer Used Private Companies and Pseudonyms to Pay Porn Star ‘Stormy Daniels.'” Previously, The diary Daniels had asked for comment. The Journal had previously revealed the existence of a $150,000 Trump-related settlement between alumni playboy Model Karen McDougal and American Media, publisher of the National Investigator.
But Daniels was bound by the $130,000 confidentiality agreement she made with Cohen and believed she would have to pay back the money plus $1 million in damages if she went ahead with her claim of a long-ago sexual encounter with Trump went public when he was a famous real estate mogul with a newborn child from his second wife.
So Davidson wrote a statement for Daniel to publish. As he explained to Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass, “It wasn’t a payout. It wasn’t hush money. It was a consideration as part of a civil settlement.”
In the statement, Daniels also denied having a romantic sexual relationship with Trump. “I think the definition of a ‘romantic sexual affair’ needs to be refined,” Davidson said. “I don’t think anyone has ever suggested that the interaction between her and Mr. Trump was romantic.” He said the statement was “technically true and provided with an extremely good reading” of the language.
As the secrecy of Daniels’ agreements came to light, attorney Cohen became increasingly agitated, Davidson testified, particularly as Daniels participated in a series of talk show interviews Jimmy Kimmel Live! And The view to talk about her newfound fame. As Daniels was getting her makeup and hair done at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood for the Kimmel interview, Davidson said he was sitting in the hotel’s Marilyn Monroe Suite — where Kimmel’s producers had put Daniels up — on Jan. 30, 2018, and another denial statement typed up for Daniels.
PREVIOUSLY: Donald Trump was the subject of another contempt hearing this morning as part of his hush money trial in Manhattan.
In a replay of an earlier court debate that resulted in a contempt ruling and a $9,000 fine for Trump, prosecutors argued that the defendant committed other violations of the judge’s confidentiality agreement, which restricts attacks on jurors and witnesses.
Trump “willfully and knowingly violated the lawful order of this court,” Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy told Judge Juan Merchan, citing four other cases in which Trump targeted witnesses and jurors. The case that seemed to interest Judge Merchan most was a comment Trump made on a radio show on April 23: “This jury was chosen so quickly – 95 percent Democrats. The area is overwhelmingly Democrat.”
Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche justified Trump’s remark by saying, “We firmly believe this is a political trial, and part of President Trump’s belief is the location of the trial.”
Merchan interrupted Blanche and asked, “Did he violate the gag order?” Blanche responded that he was arguing that Trump had not violated the gag order and that he had thereby laid the groundwork for his argument. “I don’t accept your argument,” Merchan snapped.
Blanche insisted that Trump was speaking about the political climate that the jury represented, not that he was attacking the jury or individual jurors.
The 30-minute hearing ended without a verdict. Prosecutors said they are seeking fines and no prison time for Trump, but acknowledged that they could seek higher penalties if violations of the gag order continue.
The judge on Tuesday found Trump in contempt of court over online posts in April that targeted jurors and witnesses — particularly Cohen and Daniels — and fined him $9,000. Merchan warned Trump that prison time was possible if he continued the attacks, and prosecutors have already investigated four other cases in which they alleged Trump violated confidentiality, including during one of his hallway press encounters.
The gag order gives Trump freedom to insult Merchan and Bragg, but bars any testimony against jurors, witnesses, other trial participants and members of Merchan’s own family — including a daughter of the judge who has worked for Democratic campaigns and a target of preliminary attacks was. Lawsuit Trump complaints linking Merchan to Trump’s political opponents.
Blanche argued this morning that Daniels and Cohen — frequent Trump antagonists — don’t need the protection of the gag order if the goal of the order is to prevent trial witnesses from feeling intimidated.
In the trial itself, prosecutors aren’t finished with the Beverly Hills lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal in their six-figure payouts for silence about Trump. Keith Davidson, who could face cross-examination by the defense today, returned to the witness stand this morning after spending much of Tuesday in court talking about his reluctance to deal with Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen.
In the midst of Trump’s 2016 White House campaign, Davidson and Cohen negotiated the sale of exclusive rights to both women’s claims of intimate extramarital encounters with the Republican candidate, with the intention of burying both stories.
The jury saw a text exchange between Davidson and his contact National Investigator Tabloid editor-in-chief Dylan Howard confirmed that Cohen transferred $130,000 to Davidson in late October 2016 after a long battle to get Daniels paid.
“Money transferred, I was told,” Davidson wrote.
“Unbelievable,” Howard replied.
“He was an excited, pants-on-fire guy,” Davidson said of Cohen on Tuesday when questioned by Joshua Steinglass, one of the few Manhattan assistant district attorneys handling the hush money case against Trump. Davidson elaborated, saying Cohen reminded him of Dug, the excited talking dog in Pixar’s hit animated film. High – “where the dog says: ‘Squirrel!’ Squirrel!’ Davidson remarked.
Cohen, who pleaded guilty in connection with paying $130,000 to Daniels, is expected to testify as part of the prosecution. The Trump indictment violated state and federal law by concealing the hush-money refund to Cohen with dozens of forged check receipts and accounting entries. When the payment was made, Trump was on track to win the presidency in 2016. He denied any sexual relationship with Daniels and said he paid Cohen for normal legal work.
Jurors saw reams of texts between Davidson and Howard on Tuesday. In a text to Howard after the infamous Access Hollywood When the tape surfaced a month before the election, Davidson wrote, “Trump is damned.” Howard responded with a white flag emoji, apparently signaling surrender despite their best efforts to avoid bad news about Howard’s boss, David Pecker, CEO of American Media, to curb favored candidates. “I think he shared my opinion,” Davidson testified.
On his way to the courtroom this morning, Trump gave another frank speech about his presidential campaign and the criminal trial, which is in its third week.
“It was nice to be able to campaign one day without taking part in this ridiculous show trial — the Biden trial, as I call it,” Trump said.