Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen secretly recorded his conversation with CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, where he admitted arranging the Stormy Daniels hush money pay off ‘on my own’.
Cohen discussed $130,000 payment to porn star Daniels in 2016, who claims she had sex with Trump in 2006 shortly after his wife Melania had given birth to son Barron.
‘I did it on my own,’ Cohen said of the payment in the two-hour discussion.
The conversation took place after Cohen told Cuomo he wasn’t running a tape, before proceeding to recording the entire conversation.
Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen (left) secretly recorded his conversation with CNN anchor Chris Cuomo (right) where he admitted arranging the Stormy Daniels hush money pay off ‘on my own’
The chat between Cohen and Cuomo took place after it was reported that Cohen arranged the payment to Daniels.
News of the secret recording by Cohen comes 24 hours after it was revealed he also made secret audio tapes of his conversations with former client, President Trump.
That recording captured Trump and Cohen’s conversation about whether they should buy former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s story about her alleged affair with Trump, from American Media.
While Trump was captured on the newly released tape discussing the deal to buy McDougal’s story, Trump has denied that he was aware of Cohen’s payment to Stormy for her story.
Trump told reporters in April aboard Air Force One that he had no knowledge that Cohen wrote a check to Daniels in order to keep her from publicly claiming she bedded the married future president more than 11 years ago.
Cohen, too, insisted he made the payoff decision on his own, drawing on a home equity line of credit for the money.
It has since emerged that Trump had reimbursed Cohen for loans of between $100,00 and $250,000 – paying back ‘expenses’ for the lawyer who paid Daniels.
Cohen discussed $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels (pictured) in 2016, who claims she had sex with Trump in 2006 shortly after his wife Melania had given birth to son Barron
Cohen has always insisted that he made the payment to Stormy without ‘I did it on my own’ – without the knowledge of Trump (pictured)
A financial disclosure form notes that ‘expenses were incurred by one of Donald J. Trump’s attorneys,’ and Trump disclosed it ‘in the interest of transparency.’ It was contained in a line beneath a section where large bank loans of as much as $50 million were listed.
The disclosure comes after Trump’s new lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on television that Trump reimbursed Cohen for the payment.
He said Cohen had paid it to try to keep the Stormy Daniels claim from coming out in case it affected the presidential campaign. Giuliani then walked back that statement.
Cohen negotiated a non-disclosure agreement withe former porn star who says she had an affair with Trump.
The agreement used pseudonyms, and required she not speak about the alleged affair, which Trump denies. It is signed by Cohen and Daniels, but not by Trump, although the pseudonym David Dennison refers to him.
According to the president’s required annual filing, Trump indicated he did not have to disclose the loan, although ethics experts said beforehand that he did, citing the requirement to disclose all debts over $10,000.
Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on television that Trump reimbursed Cohen for the payment
The acting head of the Office of Government Ethics says Trump should have disclosed the loan last year – and forwarded the president’s form to the Justice Department.
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, the newest member of Trump’s legal team, said previously that the money to Stormy was ‘funneled through a law firm, and the president repaid it’.
After a slew of Giuliani TV appearances that put Trump in potential jeopardy, the president said Giuliani would get his facts straight.
If the $130,000 was in fact a loan from Cohen, Trump would be obliged to report it.
Walter Shaub, the former head of the Office of Government Ethics, wrote on Twitter Tuesday: ‘Today’s the day! No more sleeps until the President’s financial disclosure report is due. He must finally come clean about his debt to Cohen for the Stormy Daniels payment… and any others. There are no loopholes.’
Trump did not reveal the payments on his 2017 form.
Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims they had an affair
Trump’s annual disclosure is being closely watched for how he will handle Stormy Daniels payments
Trump told reporters earlier this year aboard Air Force One that he didn’t know about the loan. If he didn’t know about the 2016 loan until later in 2017 for some reason, he would still have to disclose it now.
The revelations Coehn recorded his discussion with Cuomo comes just a day after his lawyer gave audio recording of a conversation Cohen had with Trump in 2016, discussing buying the rights to a Playboy model’s story about her alleged affair with Trump.
The tape is one of 12 obtained by the FBI during a raid on Cohen’s home and office earlier this year.
In the tape, obtained and aired by CNN on Tuesday, the president can be heard speaking to Cohen about the proposal to buy Karen McDougal’s story. Trump’s campaign had previously claimed it knew nothing about any payment to McDougal.
Cohen is heard on the recording – made in September 2016 – telling Trump he plans to set up a company to purchase the rights of the story from American Media who bought it from McDougal for $150,000.
McDougal is a former Playboy model who allegedly had an affair with Trump from 2006 until 2007 while he was married to Melania.
At one point Trump appears to tell Cohen ‘pay with cash’ but the president’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani insists he says ‘don’t pay with cash’ – sparking a fierce debate.
Giuliani had previously said that Trump ordered Cohen to pay by check so that the money would be documented and above-board.
‘I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David,’ Cohen said in the recording – thought to be a reference to American Media head David Pecker.
DEBT PAID: The president ‘fully reimbursed’ longtime lawyer Michael Cohen for a loan of $100,001 – $250,000. He did not say what the loan was for, but the interest rate was zero. Cohen says he used a home loan to pay porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000
LENDER BE: Trump says he paid back his lawyer for the loan of $100,000-250,000. The last time he took out a loan that small according to his form was in 1994
Trump interjects to ask ‘What financing’ which his lawyer responds: ‘We’ll have to pay.’
The then-presidential candidate interrupts again but his voice is muffled. He is heard to say ‘pay with cash’, but it’s unclear if he suggested to pay with cash or said don’t pay with cash.
Cohen replies: ‘No, no, no, no.’
‘Check,’ Trump adds.
Davis, 72, formerly special counsel to President Bill Clinton, said he gave the copy to the network to defend his client who was ‘falsely accused.’
Trump’s ex-lawyer Cohen is accused of receiving US$500,000 from a Russian oligarch linked to election meddling.
A secret audio recordings of Donald Trump discussing with his attorney Michael Cohen how they would buy Playboy model Karen McDougal’s story
Giuliani insists the president never paid McDougal but had acknowledged that the audio, which dates back to September 2016, captured a discussion related to the buying the story rights.
Before it was leaked, Giuliani said the recording would play to Trump’s benefit.
‘Nothing in that conversation suggests that he had any knowledge of it in advance,’ Giuliani said, according to the Times, and said Trump told Cohen that if he made a payment to McDougal, he should write a check.
After the tape was released, he told Fox News on Tuesday it was ‘outrageous’ that it had been leaked to the media and questioned whether it ended at a key part in the conversation.
Giuliani claims that the rest of the recording, if it hadn’t cut off, would have been ‘exculpatory’.
He also told The Associated Press that Trump did not want to pay cash and ‘suggesting otherwise is ridiculous.’