*Cohen Recorded ๐ผ Trump Discussing Payment ๐ฐ to Ex-playboy Model*
The FBI is in possession of a recording between President Donald Trump and Michael Cohen in which the two men discuss a payment to a former Playboy model who has alleged an affair with Trump, Rudy Giuliani and a source familiar with the matter told CNN Friday.
Cohen has other recordings of the President in his records that were seized by the FBI, said a source with knowledge of Cohen’s tapes and Giuliani, who described the other recordings as mundane discussions.
The recording about the former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, was among the troves of documents and materials seized in the FBI raid of Cohen’s hotel, residence and office earlier this year. A transcript of the recording was reviewed by the Trump legal team, which does not believe it is a legal problem for the President.
The disclosure of the McDougal recording, which was first reported by The New York Times, raises fresh questions about the lengths to which Trump and his confidante would go to suppress allegations of extramarital affairs from going public before the election. Adult film actress Stormy Daniels has sued Trump over a $130,000 agreement Cohen made to her on Trump’s behalf to keep her quiet about an alleged affair, which Trump has denied, along with McDougal’s allegations.
McDougal eventually signed a contract with the company that owns the National Enquirer, which barred her from publicly speaking about the alleged affair before the 2016 election.