Donald Trump's hush money trial unveils blackmail episode involving his daughter Tiffany Trump
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: On Monday, May 20, the hush money trial involving former president Donald Trump took a surprising turn with an unexpected reference to his daughter Tiffany Trump.
A stunning disclosure emerged about an apparent blackmail attempt involving Tiffany just weeks before the 2016 election.
Tiffany Trump, a relatively low-profile member of the Trump family at the time, had appeared with her father at the 2016 Republican National Convention. However, she did not maintain the same public visibility as her half-brothers Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, or her half-sister Ivanka Trump.
Ivanka later joined her father in the White House, while Don Jr and Eric took over the Trump Organization during Trump's presidency.
Michael Cohen's cross-examination
During the cross-examination, Trump's attorney Todd Blanche pressed key witness Michael Cohen about the alleged extortion attempt involving Tiffany Trump. Blanche aimed to demonstrate that Cohen had multiple reasons for communicating with Trump during a critical period, beyond the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.
"You agree with me, right, that you had a lot going on both in your personal life and with President Trump in those first two weeks of October?" Blanche asked.
"Yes," Cohen replied.
Blanche continued, "You recall on October 25th, you recall her communicating with your concerns about somebody trying to blackmail her?"
"Yes sir," Cohen responded.
Cohen testified that he addressed the issue immediately, speaking to David Pecker, then-CEO of American Media Inc, Tiffany Trump, and others involved. This apparently took place the day after Cohen had spoken to Trump about the payoff to Daniels, using the phone of Keith Schiller, Trump's longtime security chief.
However, Blanche pointed out that the date of the call coincided with prank phone calls Cohen was receiving from a 14-year-old, based on Cohen's texts with Schiller.
Potential extortion attempt
Blanche labeled it a "potential extortion attempt" involving photos during a dramatic day in court where Cohen also admitted to stealing $60,000 from Trump.
He highlighted that Trump was preparing for the opening ceremony of his new Washington DC hotel on October 26, suggesting multiple subjects Cohen could have discussed with Trump during their call.
"So was fixing Tiffany Trump's situation important to you?" Blanche asked.
"It was important I take care of things but it was not personally important to me," Cohen responded.
"Wouldn't that be something you updated her father about when you spoke the next morning?" Blanche asked further.
"No sir," Cohen replied.
This brief mention of Tiffany Trump was the only one during the month-long trial. Meanwhile, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr have each appeared with their father in Manhattan criminal court, accompanied by the former's wife Lara Trump, a co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Tiffany Trump's life after law school
Since graduating from Georgetown University Law Center in 2020, Tiffany Trump has maintained a low profile. She met her now-husband, Michael Boulos, in 2018 at Lindsay Lohan's beach club in Greece.
Boulos proposed to her in the White House Rose Garden in 2021, and they married at Mar-a-Lago the following year.
Tiffany's X (formerly Twitter) profile highlights her academic achievements, including her law degree from Georgetown, where she served as President of the Cyberlaw Society. Her profile also mentions her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, her father's alma mater.
Although it is unclear what specific legal work Tiffany has undertaken since completing her law degree, her Instagram page features photos from her glamorous wedding, numerous images of her father and siblings, and several pictures taken inside the White House, the Daily Mail reported.
