Internet divided as Stormy Daniels denies admonishing Keith Davidson despite recorded call evidence

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: On Thursday, May 9, during the hush money criminal trial proceedings of former President Donald Trump in a Manhattan courtroom, jurors were played a recording of a phone conversation in which Stormy Daniels' attorney Keith Davidson, claimed that his client berated him and wanted money “more than anything.”

The adult film star’s legal representative at the time, Davidson was heard pressuring Trump's former "fixer," Michael Cohen, to pay Daniels in exchange for her silence about her alleged affair with the ex-president.

Per the New York Post, in the recording, Davidson stated that Daniels "wanted this money more than you can ever imagine."

The recording was presented as evidence in the trial, which is focused on whether the 77-year-old former POTUS and his associates violated campaign finance laws in trying to cover up a $130,000  hush money payout to silence Daniels and another woman from going public about claims of having affairs with the then-candidate.

What did call recording presented to the jurors entail?

On the call recording, Davidson can be heard telling Cohen, "I remember hearing her on the phone saying, 'You — f-king Keith Davidson — you better settle this goddamn story.'"

The recorded phone conversation between the attorneys on April 4, 2018, contained several instances of vulgarity and insults, with Davidson detailing that Daniels was cursing and screaming at him while calling him a "p—y," all to put him under pressure for an excellent deal.

He went on to say that Daniels allegedly claimed that if Trump lost the election, "we lose all f-king leverage" and "this case is worth zero."

Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, rejected his then-attorney Davidson's accusations during her second day of testimony against Trump in the Manhattan Supreme Court.

Under questioning by Trump’s lawyers, she said, “No I did not, actually, I never yelled at Keith Davidson.”

“It sounds like a threat from Keith Davidson,” the 45-year-old remarked.

Daniels also informed jurors that her only goal in testifying was "to get the truth out" regarding her alleged extramarital affair with Trump, not money.

How was Stormy Daniels’ last day of testimony in Trump’s hush money criminal case?

Stormy Daniels appeared distinctly calmer and unruffled during her second stint on the stand on Thursday.

In contrast to her first testimony on Tuesday, where she spoke rapidly and gestured excitedly, this time around Daniels talked in detail about her "brief" sexual encounter with Trump in the "missionary position" without him wearing a condom.

Trump's lawyer, Susan Necheles, pressed her with her continual tense interrogation, attempting to suggest that Daniels had extorted Trump for the payment.

Throughout the day’s proceedings, former President Donald Trump remained silent at the defense table, intently watching the courtroom action unfold.

On Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan had warned him through his lawyer to remain quiet after he had been seen mouthing profanity, which the judge said could intimidate witnesses.

There were several unserious moments inside the Manhattan courtroom on Thursday as Daniels cracked jokes.

She told jurors that even after starring in over 100 porn flicks and seeing innumerable naked men, she was still surprised to see a half-naked Trump lying in his boxers on the bed when she came out of the bathroom the night she had a one-night-stand with him.

In her testimony, Daniels attested to having encountered Trump in 2006 during a celebrity golf tournament held in Lake Tahoe.

The two purportedly engaged in sexual intercourse on the very same night, following their initial meeting at his upscale hotel suite.

Daniels described Trump as having been dressed in "silk or satin" pajamas reminiscent of those worn by Hugh Hefner. It was only after Daniels requested that he change his attire that the encounter ensued.

“If I came out of the bathroom and saw an older man in his underwear that I wasn’t expecting to see there, yeah,” she remarked, she'd be taken off guard.

Necheles attempted to get Daniels to concede that she "made all this up," but Daniels refused, insisting she didn’t lie about what had happened and that her story has remained consistent — despite previous media appearances revealing contradictions.

Stormy Daniels' testimony concluded shortly before 1 p.m., after a combined total of approximately six hours on the witness stand, spanning Tuesday and Thursday.

Internet reacts as Daniels refutes admonishing Davidson evidenced in recorded call with Cohen

One X user remarked, "Just astounding that they let this woman act as a witness. What a ridiculous case."

 

Another user asked, "Can someone please tell me why any of her testimony is necessary or relevant? Isn't Trump being charged with bookkeeping violations? Shouldn't accountants be on the stand? Or is this whole thing just about salacious gossip?"

Another user wrote, "A mountain of documentary evidence has been submitted into the record. Multiple witnesses have corroborated the same story about Trump. Does Trump have a single witness willing to defend him under oath? This criminal trial is looking bad for Trump and iron clad for the DA."

One X user said, "It was all about her wanting money."

Another user quipped, "That’s so funny since yesterday she claimed that call never happened."

Another user claimed, "Case dismissed. Arrest Stormy for extortion and charge Cohen for lying to Congress, AGAIN."

Finally, this user tweeted, "I believe Cohen approached both her and McDougel, so how can that be extortion?"

 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.