Former Lawyer Testifies Trump, Not Cohen, Pursued Payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal Amid Criminal Trial

New York, New York, USA United States of America
Former lawyer Keith Davidson testified that Trump or 'some corporate affiliation' of Trump paid hush money for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal's stories.
Karen McDougal received $150,000 from The National Enquirer for her story as part of a scheme to bolster Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
Michael Cohen missed multiple deadlines to wire the payment for Daniels and may have delayed it until after the election.
Trump held in contempt for violating a gag order in ongoing criminal trial and faces further penalties.
Former Lawyer Testifies Trump, Not Cohen, Pursued Payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal Amid Criminal Trial

In the ongoing criminal trial of former President Donald Trump in New York, key testimony was given by Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal in 2016 regarding their claims of extramarital sexual encounters with Trump. The trial marks the first time an American president is facing criminal charges.

Davidson testified that before the Access Hollywood tape was released, there was little interest in acquiring the rights to Daniels and McDougal's stories. However, after the tape came to light, Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen intensified his efforts to secure these rights. Davidson believed that Trump or 'some corporate affiliation' of Trump paid the hush money for Daniels, not Cohen.

Cohen missed multiple deadlines to wire the $130,000 hush-money payment for Daniels throughout mid-October 2016 and may have delayed it until after the election. Davidson thought Cohen was trying to delay the payment until after the election. Karen McDougal received $150,000 from The National Enquirer for her story, which prosecutors claim was part of a scheme to bolster Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

The trial resumed on Thursday with Davidson continuing his testimony. Michael Cohen is expected to be called as a key witness against Trump in the trial. He denies committing the crimes and says he did not have sex with Daniels or McDougal.

Judge Juan Merchan held Trump in contempt for violating a gag order, imposing the maximum financial penalty allowed under New York state judiciary law. Trump may face further penalties as soon as Thursday when the judge is scheduled to hear arguments from Manhattan district attorney prosecutors that Trump violated the gag order several more times since they submitted their initial list of 10.

Despite the ongoing trial, Davidson showed antipathy towards Michael Cohen during his testimony.


Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image

Confidence

85%

Doubts
  • Michael Cohen denies committing the crimes and says he did not have sex with Daniels or McDougal.
  • The trial is ongoing and the outcome is uncertain.

Sources

92%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Trump trial judge to hold gag order hearing before Stormy Daniels' ex-lawyer is back on the stand

NBC News Digital Thursday, 02 May 2024 13:10
  • Unique Points
    • Donald Trump's hush money trial resumes with prosecutors set to argue that the judge overseeing the trial should find Trump in criminal contempt again for violating a gag order.
    • Former President Donald Trump appeared in Manhattan criminal court before his trial on Tuesday.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (75%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority and a slight exaggeration in stating that the jury of Trump's peers is 'overwhelmingly Democratic'. No direct quotes from www.nbcnews.com are fallacious; only statements made by others are reported on.
    • . . .Trump last week also complained that the jury of his peers is overwhelmingly Democratic. Jurors weren't asked about their party affiliations during the selection process.
    • The narrowly tailored gag order bars Trump from
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Trump Trial to Resume With Testimony From Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels’ Lawyer

The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Matthew Haag Thursday, 02 May 2024 07:00
  • Unique Points
    • The criminal trial of Donald J. Trump in Lower Manhattan is the first of an American president.
    • Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented women who said they had sex with Donald J. Trump, discussed the hush-money payment at the heart of the first criminal case against an American president.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Stormy Daniels’ lawyer, a fine and a warning: Trump trial key takeaways, day nine

theguardian.com Article URL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/13/ pakistan-·coalition-·agrees-to-form-government Hugo Lowell Tuesday, 30 April 2024 22:22
  • Unique Points
    • The Access Hollywood tape led Trump to pursue the ‘catch-and-kill’ rights to the Stormy Daniels story about an alleged affair with him.
    • Cohen missed multiple deadlines to wire the $130,000 hush-money payment throughout mid-October 2016 and may have delayed it until after the election.
    • Trump was fined $9,000 for nine violations of a gag order in his criminal trial in New York and warned that further violations could result in jail time.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Stormy Daniels' lawyer didn't give prosecutors fireworks. That will help them.

Politico News Site Name: POLITICO Full Legal Name of News Site: Politico LLC Location of News Site: Washington D.C., USA Tuesday, 30 April 2024 00:00
  • Unique Points
    • Davidson believed that Trump or ‘some corporate affiliation’ of Trump paid the hush money for Daniels, not Cohen.
    • Cohen dragged his feet on sending the money before the election and Davidson thought he was trying to delay it until after the election.
    • >$130,000 in hush money was paid to Daniels by Cohen but believed to have been funded by Trump or a corporate affiliation of Trump.
    • >Davidson showed antipathy towards Michael Cohen during his testimony.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    No ad hominem attacks or appeals to emotion were found. There are no dichotomous depictions in the text. However, there is an example of a composition fallacy: 'Davidson believed that Trump or “some corporate affiliation” of Trump — not Cohen — was actually paying the money.' This suggests that the author assumes Davidson's belief is fact, without providing evidence to support this claim. Additionally, there are two instances of false cause: 'Davidson thought he was offering excuses and “trying to kick the can down the road until after the election” presumably because Trump and Cohen would no longer need to suppress Daniels’ story after the election.' The author is attributing intentions to Davidson without providing evidence for those intentions. Lastly, there is an example of a post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy: 'That inference may support prosecutors’ assertion that Trump orchestrated the deal, and tried to conceal it, as part of a scheme to unlawfully influence the election.' The author assumes that because something happened after another event (the election), it must have been caused by that event.
    • Davidson believed that Trump or “some corporate affiliation” of Trump — not Cohen — was actually paying the money.
    • Davidson thought he was offering excuses and “trying to kick the can down the road until after the election” presumably because Trump and Cohen would no longer need to suppress Daniels’ story after the election.
    • That inference may support prosecutors’ assertion that Trump orchestrated the deal, and tried to conceal it, as part of a scheme to unlawfully influence the election.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Trump trial resumes with Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels' ex-lawyer, returning to the stand

CBS News Site: https://www.cbsnews.com/articles/about-us/ Graham Kates, Thursday, 02 May 2024 13:15
  • Unique Points
    • An attorney who represented Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels in 2016 for their silence about alleged sexual encounters with Donald Trump is continuing his testimony in the former president’s criminal trial.
    • Keith Davidson negotiated deals on behalf of McDougal and Daniels as they sought payments for the rights to their stories.
    • Karen McDougal was paid $150,000 by the parent company of tabloid magazine National Enquirer for her story, which prosecutors say was part of a scheme to bolster Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
    • Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was paid $130,000 by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer.
    • Michael Cohen is expected to be called as a key witness against Trump in the trial. He denies committing the crimes and says he did not have sex with Daniels or McDougal.
    • Judge Juan Merchan held Trump in contempt for violating a gag order in the case, and will hear arguments about four additional instances of alleged violation.
  • Accuracy
    • Stormy Daniels was paid $130,000 by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer.
    • Prosecutors have charged Mr. Trump with falsifying business records to cover up repayments to Michael D. Cohen, disguising the checks as 'legal expenses'.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication