Michael Cohen reveals Tiffany Trump was goal of extortion plot

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Donald Trump’s youngest daughter Tiffany Trump was the goal of an extortion plot again in 2016, based on testimony from the previous president’s ex-lawyer and one-time fixer Michael Cohen in court docket on Monday.

Throughout cross-examination, Mr Trump’s protection lawyer Todd Blanche continued to query Cohen’s recollection of occasions across the time he paid grownup movie star Stormy Daniels hush cash with a purpose to silence her about an alleged sexual encounter with Mr Trump in 2006.

Cohen beforehand testified that he known as Mr Trump to tell him of the cost within the days after he wired Ms Daniels the $130,000 in October 2016 – days earlier than the presidential election.

Mr Blanche challenged what different conversations Cohen would have had together with his former boss, suggesting that an October 26 2016 telephone name could have been about one thing aside from the cost to Ms Daniels.

Cohen testified that he did recall talking with Tiffany and David Pecker, the previous writer of The Nationwide Enquirer, about an alleged blackmail scheme involving Tiffany.

“You dealt with it and spoke to Mr Pecker, and Ms Trump about it and spoke with common counsel at AMI to close this down?” Mr Blanche requested.

“Sure, to Pecker and Ms Trump about it to determine a method to shut it down,” Cohen asid.

Nevertheless he insisted that his dialog with Mr Trump on October 26 was about Ms Daniels – and never the extortion plot involving Tiffany.

“My recollection is that I used to be chatting with him about Stormy Daniels as a result of that was what he tasked me with and that’s what I used to be working,” Cohen testified.

It’s unclear what the alleged blackmail plot involving Tiffany was about – or the way it was “shut down”.

Cohen is the prosecution’s ultimate – and “star” – witness within the former president’s trial the place he’s criminally accused of falsifying 34 enterprise data to hide his reimbursement funds to Cohen.

Thus far, Cohen has testified to the jury that he needed to get his former boss’s “sign-off” on all the pieces he did – together with when he paid Ms Daniels the $130,000 cost to maintain quiet in regards to the alleged affair.

He testified that the previous president was not solely conscious of the cost however had promised to reimburse him for the cash he fronted to safe the take care of Ms Daniels.

Final week, Mr Blanche accused Cohen of mendacity a few telephone name to Mr Trump’s bodyguard the place he testified that he additionally spoke on to Mr Trump to verify to him that he had paid Ms Daniels the $130,000.

Cohen remained adamant that the telephone name was in regards to the funds – although admitted different subjects could have come up throughout it.

The jury beforehand heard from different witnesses that Cohen, Mr Trump and Mr Pecker engaged in a so-called “catch and kill” scheme main as much as the election to forestall adverse tales about Mr Trump from hurting his presidential marketing campaign.

Mr Trump denies the affair and has pleaded not responsible to all prices.