Opening statements in the trial against Michael Cohen on Monday revealed the prosecution’s intention to present a recorded phone call between Cohen and Donald Trump. The prosecutors argue that this call supports their claim of a criminal conspiracy to silence Trump’s accusers before the 2016 election.
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo alleged that Playboy model Karen McDougal received $150,000 for her story about an alleged affair with Trump. Colangelo asserts that Trump was aware of and supported this payment, fearing the impact on his election campaign.
The phone call between Cohen and Trump reportedly took place in 2016, around the time when David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer, was growing impatient over Trump’s failure to reimburse him for the McDougal payment. Prosecutors allege that Pecker, Trump, and Cohen conspired to purchase the rights to potentially damaging stories as part of a strategy to influence the election outcome.
Colangelo maintains that Cohen’s recorded conversation with Pecker proves their role as middlemen in concealing the true nature of the transactions. Similar tactics were employed to pay off adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The essence of the case, according to Colangelo, revolves around the criminal conspiracy charges.
