Stormy Daniels’ attorney claims Michael Cohen is ready to tell the truth

Michael Avenatti is claiming there are more tapes out of there of conversations between President Donald Trump and his former personal attorney Michael Cohen – and he knows what’s on some of them.

He also is asserting Cohen is ready to tell the truth. 

Avenatti, the attorney for porn star Stormy Daniels, made his claims during an interview on ABC’s ‘This Week’ on Sunday.

Attorney Michael Avenatti says there are more Cohen-Trump tapes out there

It was revealed Michael Cohen taped his conversation with Donald Trump regarding a payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal

It was revealed Michael Cohen taped his conversation with Donald Trump regarding a payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal

‘First of all, this is not the only tape. I can tell you that for a fact. There’s multiple tapes,’ he said. ‘I do know there’s more tapes of President Trump. There’s multiple tapes of President Trump.’

He also is charging Trump was aware of Cohen’s proclivity in taping his clients. 

‘Cohen had shared tapes with the president along the way during the 10 years of legal representation,’ Avenatti claims. ‘Donald Trump knew better and it’s shocking to me that he now expresses shock about being taped.’

‘I know the substance of some of the tapes,’ he added.

He also indicted the tapes are a smoking gun to the president. 

‘This shows that the president knew that these payments were being made prior to the election, he was a participant in it, he was advising as to how it was going to be done, and none of that is going to be helpful to him or Michael Cohen, especially as it relates to campaign finance violations,’ he said.

Avenatti then hinted Cohen may talk soon – and what Trump’s former fixer knows could ‘assist us in our search for the truth.’  

‘Michael Cohen is going to assist us in our search for the truth and disclosure of what happened here,’ he said. ‘I think he is ready to tell the truth. And ultimately I think he is going to cooperate with us as it relates for our search for the truth.’

He said there’s been a change in Cohen since he hired attorney Lanny Davis in June.

‘I think you have seen an evolution by Michael Cohen over the last month or so with the retention of Lanny Davis and others, I think he is ready to tell the truth.’  

Cohen was once known as Trump’s fixer who said he would take a bullet for the president.

Their relationship, however, has disintegrated since Cohen gave an interview to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in early July where he said his first loyalty was to his family.

The interview came shortly after he hired Davis.  

Cohen, who is under federal investigation related to his business practices, could be a key component of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s role in the election. 

Signs are being watched to see if Cohen has flipped on the president and talking to prosecutors. 

It’s unknown what Cohen, who was heavily involved in the 2016 presidential campaign, could tell prosecutors if he cooperates.

And Trump was not happy Cohen secretly recorded their conversation about a payment to a Playboy model who alleged she had a year-long affair with Trump.

Michael Avenatti claims there is a change in Cohen since he hired a new attorney

Michael Avenatti claims there is a change in Cohen since he hired a new attorney

Michael Avenatti represents porn star Stormy Daniels in her case against Trump

Michael Avenatti represents porn star Stormy Daniels in her case against Trump

Trump tweeted his unhappiness with the revelation there are tapes of his conversations about former Playboy model Karen McDougal

Trump tweeted his unhappiness with the revelation there are tapes of his conversations about former Playboy model Karen McDougal

The president tweeted Saturday morning that the recording was ‘inconceivable’ and possibly illegal that Cohen recorded him without his knowledge.

‘Inconceivable that the government would break into a lawyer’s office (early in the morning) – almost unheard of. Even more inconceivable that a lawyer would tape a client – totally unheard of & perhaps illegal,’ he wrote.

‘The good news is that your favorite President did nothing wrong!’ Trump added.

On Friday, it was reported that authorities obtained a copy of a recording of a conversation Trump had with Cohen two months before the 2016 election about a Playboy model who claims she had an affair with Trump. 

The model, Karen McDougal, got a $150,000 payment from the National Enquirer for her story, although it never ran in what is known as ‘catch and kill.’

New York state is a one-party recording state meaning Trump’s permission wouldn’t be needed for Cohen to tape their conversation. 

The FBI seized Cohen’s devices during a raid on his home and office in New York this spring. 

A court then oversaw the culling of millions of documents and files to determine which ones might be protected by attorney-client privilege. Trump’s attorneys did not invoke attorney-client privilege in regards to the recording.  

Davis said ‘any attempt at spin cannot change what is on the tape.’

‘When the recording is heard, it will not hurt Mr. Cohen,’ Davis said in a statement.

Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani says the recording is two minutes long, theNew York Times reported.       

When the Wall Street Journal broke the story on the payment and the alleged affair days before the election, Trump spokeswoman and later White House communications director Hope Hicks said, ‘We have no knowledge of any of this.’ 

Under the arrangement, David Pecker, chairman of American Media, which owns the National Enquirer, oversaw a $150,000 payment to McDougal. Pecker is a longtime friend of Trump’s and a political supporter.  

McDougal claims she had an year-long affair with Trump more than a decade ago, which Trump has denied.

She has filed a lawsuit seeking the right to speak publicly about her alleged affair. Adult film star Stormy Daniels has also sued the president to nullify a nondisclosure agreement about an alleged affair, which Trump also has denied.  

It was $130,000 payment to Daniels – arranged by Cohen – and the nondisclosure she signed that resulted in Avenatti representing her. Trump denied an affair with the porn star.

In March 2018, Avenatti filed a lawsuit on Daniels’ behalf seeking to invalidate the 2016 non-disclosure agreement regarding the alleged affair. 

Cohen has not been charged with any wrongdoing but he is under criminal investigation for potential bank fraud, campaign finance violations, and tax issues – some of which are connected to the non-disclosure agreement he inked with Daniels.

Cohen’s home and office were raided by federal agents in April and his attorneys have been combing through 3.7 million files and hundreds of encrypted messages for privileged information.

 



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