Stormy Daniels’ ex-lawyer claims $130K payment wasn’t 'hush money’ but rather 'civil settlement'

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: During Donald Trump's criminal trial on Thursday, May 2, the attorney who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in brokering a deal in 2016, stated that the $130,000 payment “wasn’t a payoff, and it wasn’t hush money.”

Keith Davidson, who had arranged the payment through Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney, testified in Manhattan Supreme Court, per the New York Post.

Davidson, in a tongue-in-cheek way, preferred to state the payment as a "consideration in a civil settlement." The former President is facing charges for allegedly fabricating financial records regarding the payment.

What did Stormy Daniels’ ex-lawyer Keith Davidson say?

Davidson focused on a precise and technical definition of the wording in a 2018 statement he filed on Daniels' behalf, arguing that she never had a “sexual and/or romantic affair with Donald Trump."

“I don’t think anyone has ever alleged that any interaction between she and Mr. Trump was romantic,” Davidson testified.

During Thursday’s trial proceedings, the lawyer also testified that it was his “understanding” that Daniels had engaged in sexual intercourse with Trump, despite the real estate magnate previously writing a letter to the contrary and having it signed by her.

Daniels, who had been attempting to proffer her account of a 2007 affair with Trump prior to the 2016 presidential election, allegedly received payment from Cohen in exchange for her silence on the matter.

The 77-year-old MAGA strongman has been indicted for purportedly falsifying business records by reimbursing Cohen the sum of $130,000 but describing it as "legal fees."

The defendant has denied all of the 34 felony charges leveled against him, including the accusation that he engaged in sexual activity with Daniels, who may testify at a later point in the criminal trial proceedings.

During a tense cross-examination, Trump’s lawyers dug up details of Davidson's shady dealings in the past. They highlighted that he had represented clients who received hush money from actor Charlie Sheen.

They went on to interrogate him about whether he had assisted another client in leaking Lindsay Lohan's medical files to TMZ. Davidson's response when pressed was, "I don't recall."

What did Keith Davidson reveal about his dealings with Michael Cohen?

Davidson expounded upon his relationship with Cohen, with whom he had established a close, amicable rapport in years gone by.

During a phone conversation on December 9, 2016, Davidson recounted how Trump appeared to disregard Cohen’s candidacy for a top role in his cabinet.

Davidson recalled Cohen remarking at the time, “Jesus Christ, can you believe I’m not going to Washington?”

Cohen went on to say about Trump, "I've saved that guy's a** so many times, you don't even know," Davidson informed the jury.

Davidson told jurors that Michael Cohen, who turned against his former employer, after leaving the Trump Organization back in 2018, had previously expressed his desire to become Trump's Attorney General or Chief of Staff.

During the phone call, Cohen also complained about not receiving reimbursement for the money he had paid to Daniels.

“That f**king guy’s not even paid me the $130,000 back,” Cohen fumed, citing the payout to Stormy Daniels.

During the call in December 2016, Michael Cohen seemed very “depressed” and “despondent,” according to Keith Davidson.

When asked again about the call during cross-examination by Trump lawyer Emil Bove, Davidson said he was taken aback by Cohen's demeanor and thought “he was going to kill himself.”

Additionally, the prosecution presented call recordings made by Cohen, who ended up getting a sentence of three years in federal prison after entering a guilty plea to charges of tax evasion and making false statements in court.

In one of the recorded conversations, Cohen tells Davidson, of Trump, “I can’t even tell you how many times he said to me, you know, ‘I hate the fact that we did it.’”

Cohen seems to be alluding to the Daniels settlement in this context.

“And my comment to him was, ‘But every person you’ve spoken to told you it was the right move',” Cohen says in the recording.

The former POTUS, Donald Trump, maintained a quiet demeanor while seated at the defense table. He was dressed in a navy blue suit, a white shirt, and a mustard yellow tie. 

Trump's lawyers have argued that the testimonies of the ex-president's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, cannot be trusted.

The lawyers claimed that Cohen, who has previously served prison time based on the same Daniels "hush money" payment, is out seeking retribution against the 2024 presumptive GOP nominee.

On the other hand, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has acknowledged that Cohen has a troubled past. However, they have assured that a paper trail of evidence and testimony from other witnesses will support Cohen's account. 

If convicted of falsifying business records, Donald Trump faces up to four years in prison, which might jeopardize his bid to return to the Oval Office come the November general election.

Internet reacts as Stormy Daniels’ ex-lawyer claims $130K ‘wasn’t hush money’

One X user claimed, "I am curious how the prosecutor can tie this all together is the checks to Cohen were made after the election was over and he was already president. The payment to Daniels was made over a year earlier."

Another user remarked, "Someone's tryna get charged with perjury."

Another user said, "It wasn’t hush money since we knew about it right after Cohen wrote the blackmail check."

One user asked, "Shouldn't that be the end of the trial?"

Another X user wrote, "How is it possible that this judge ever let this farce go to trial? Our justice system is so corrupt and broken."

A user tweeted, "Proof the case is political persecution."

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