Trump rails against Cohen call evidence at hush money trial

Former President Trump complained Friday about a recorded phone call he made with Michael Cohen that was played as evidence in his hush money trial.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the tape was “good for my case, but it was cut at the end, early in the very positive remarks I was in the middle of speaking.” Stated. Why did it break? ? ? ”

During Thursday’s hearing, prosecutors played a recording Mr. Cohen secretly made in September 2016 in which he spoke with Mr. Trump about a decade before Mr. Trump was elected president. He has been talking to Trump about signing former Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep quiet about allegations that he had an affair. .

On the tape, Trump can be heard asking about the cost of the deal: “One-fiftieth?” — obviously means $150,000.

There was also a brief exchange between Trump and Cohen over whether to pay by cash or check. Mr. Trump wants to pay in cash, but Mr. Cohen is against it.

Doug Daus, a longtime forensic analyst with the district attorney’s office, said it appears the recording was interrupted when Cohen received a call. But under cross-examination by Trump’s lawyers, Daus acknowledged that forensic analysis found no actual record of that call.

Cohen is scheduled to testify for the prosecution at trial. Cohen, a former Trump lawyer, has become an outspoken critic of the former president. But President Trump and his allies maintain that Cohen is an unreliable witness.

Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the New York case. The suit is sordid in nature and focuses on a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign, which was made after she was accused of having an affair with Trump. The purpose is to prevent information from becoming public. Trump has maintained her innocence and denied having an affair with her.