Stormy Daniels’ lawyer feared Michael Cohen would “commit suicide” when he failed to get a job in the Trump administration after the 2016 election, the hush money trial heard on Thursday.
Keith Davidson told the court he was “concerned” about Cohen’s well-being during a phone call in which the self-described “fixer” revealed he was not being tapped as Trump’s attorney general or chief of staff.
‘Can you believe I’m not going to Washington after everything I’ve done for that damn guy?’ Cohen told Davidson.
‘I can’t believe I’m not going to Washington. I’ve saved that guy’s ass so many times you don’t even know it.
Attorney Keith Davidson, who represented former Playboy model Karen McDougal, displays correspondence with former National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard in connection with the sale of McDougal’s story about an alleged affair with former US President Donald Trump , during Trump’s criminal trial on business falsification charges. records to hide money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, at Manhattan State Court in New York City, USA, April 30, 2024 in this courtroom sketch
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Cohen was referring to the silent agreement he made with Davidson for Daniels to initially go public with allegations of an affair with Trump.
Davidson detailed the tortuous process he went through, in which Cohen became furious every time Daniels appeared on television.
The lawyer was also questioned about a statement he issued denying that Daniels and Trump were having an affair.
Davidson squirmed on the stand when asked about a text he sent to National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard in the early hours of Nov. 9, 2016, election night.
Davidson wrote: “What have we done?”
Speaking to the jury, Davidson said: “This was dark humour.
‘On election night, when the results came in. It came as a surprise among broadcasters and others that Donald Trump was leading in the polls and that there was a growing sense that people were about to call an election.
“It was understood that our efforts could have helped Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in some way.”
The court heard that in a text Howard responded: ‘Oh my God’
Attorney Keith Davidson, who represented former Playboy model Karen McDougal, is questioned during the criminal trial of former US President Donald Trump accused of falsifying business records to hide money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in a Manhattan state court in New York City. , USA, May 2, 2024 in this courtroom sketch
Former US President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings in his criminal trial at the New York State Supreme Court in New York, United States, May 2, 2024.
Trump’s deputy communications director Margo Martin and Eric Trump listen as former US President Donald Trump speaks outside the courtroom.
Davidson also represented Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claimed to have had an affair with Trump.
The attorney told jurors that Cohen called him “quite frequently” after the election.
During a call in mid-December on a Saturday morning, Cohen called him looking “very despondent and saddened.”
Davidson said: “He was calling me and told me he was depressed, he used very colorful language about that stage of his life.”
Trump lawyer Emil Bove asked Davidson about the December 2016 conversation with Cohen.
Bove asked if Davidson was “concerned” about Cohen’s well-being after hanging up the phone.
Davidson said: “I thought he was going to kill himself.”
Stormy Daniels, American porn actress and film director, at Oxford Union, Oxford, England, on May 24, 202
Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media outside Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 2, 2024.
According to Davidson, Cohen was upset because he couldn’t get a job in the Trump administration.
Bove asked if Cohen thought he could become Trump’s chief of staff. Davidson responded that this work came about “among others.”
Bove asked if Cohen thought he was going to be Attorney General at some point.
Davidson responded, “That’s true.”