The Justice Department is investigating a taped conversation between PresidentDonald Trumpand his lawyer, Michael Cohen, discussing a potential payment to a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Trump,The New York Timesreports. The F.B.I reportedly seized the recording — which Cohen secretly made two months before the presidential election — during itsraid of Cohen’s office and hotel roomin April, theTimesreports.
Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph Guiliani, told theTimesthat Trump did discuss the payments with Cohen but the payment was never made. According to Guiliani, the tape is two minutes long.
The White House has denied the affair.
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“The practice, known as ‘catch and kill,’ effectively silenced Ms. McDougal for the remainder of the campaign,” wrote the Times’ Matt Apuzzo, Maggie Haberman and Michael Schmidt in Friday’s report.
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The taped conversation adds a new layer to the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation of Cohen’s involvement in payments to women who threatened Trump’s public image in the months leading up to the November 2016 presidential election. Federal officials are looking to understand if the payments violated federal campaign finance laws.
“Once the keeper of many of Mr. Trump’s secrets, Mr. Cohen is now seen as increasingly willing to consider cooperating with prosecutors,” theTimeswrote.
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The tape may also impactStormy Daniels, the adult film star who is suing Trump and Cohen to void a contract that bars her from speaking about her alleged affair with the president. Trump denies any affair with Daniels. Her lawyer, Michael Avenatti,told CNBCon Friday that he believes the Cohen tape is “the tip of the iceberg.”
TheTimes’Maggie HabermanTweetedthat the tape “appears to be the only one.”
The news of the tape comes as nightlyprotestsensue outside of the White House in the wake of Trump’s controversial trip toHelsinki.
source: people.com
