Former Donald Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who is the main witness in the New York prosecution’s case against the former president, testified that he had recorded over 40 phone conversations with reporters. Cohen stated that he stopped recording after the 2016 election and disclosed that he had a close relationship with New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
Cohen also revealed that he did not inform others about his recordings as New York is a one-party consent state, making his recordings legal. He had approximately 95 recordings on his cell phone, one of which included a conversation with former CNN President Jeff Zucker where Cohen mentioned using a check to pay Karen McDougal.
During cross-examination by Team Trump, Cohen was repeatedly portrayed as being against Trump. Jurors were played clips from Cohen’s podcast discussing Trump and potential charges in the hush money case. One audio clip featured Cohen expressing a desire for revenge against Trump.
Trump’s counsel questioned Cohen about referring to Trump as “Dumbass Donald,” which he admitted to.
