Lawyers for former President Donald Trump presented compelling evidence to a Manhattan jury on Thursday, suggesting that Stormy Daniels’ attorney Keith Davidson engaged in potential extortion. In a recorded phone call from April 2018 between Davidson and Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, Davidson is heard claiming that Daniels berated him and pressured Cohen for money, indicating a desire for it “more than anything.”
The recording, rife with explicit language, featured Davidson saying that Daniels was furious with him, allegedly calling him a “p—y” and urging Cohen to resolve her claims promptly. “She wanted this money more than you can ever imagine,” Davidson told Cohen in the call as reported by The New York Post. “I remember hearing her on the phone saying, ‘You f–king Keith Davidson. You better settle this goddamn story.’” Davidson added that Daniels was fearful that if Trump lost the election, “we lose all f–king leverage” and “this case is worth zero.”
Daniels, however, firmly denied berating Davidson. “No, I did not, actually; I never yelled at Keith Davidson,” she testified in court, adding, “It sounds like a threat from Keith Davidson.”
The phone call and ensuing testimony form part of a larger narrative being crafted by Trump’s legal team, which aims to cast doubt on the credibility of Daniels’ account of her relationship with the former president. Daniels herself is at the heart of the trial against Trump, offering what she characterized as a consensual yet uncomfortable account of her alleged encounter with him.
In her testimony, Daniels recounted the details of her secret rendezvous with Trump, which she claimed occurred after the then-real estate mogul allegedly wooed her into his hotel suite. She testified that Trump coaxed her into having sex by suggesting it would help her “get out of the trailer park.” Daniels stated that she felt “blacked out,” although she was neither drunk nor drugged. “My hands were shaking so hard,” she testified.
Despite the sensitive nature of her allegations, Judge Juan Merchan imposed strict limits to prevent the trial from devolving into an inquiry into Trump’s personal behavior. More than 50 objections were sustained during Daniels’ testimony as Judge Merchan sought to keep the focus on the alleged 2016 campaign finance conspiracy and not delve into Trump’s history of alleged misconduct. Daniels has always denied being a victim of any criminal behavior, describing her encounter with Trump as consensual.
Nonetheless, Daniels’ story prompted Trump’s legal team to point to the prejudicial nature of her testimony, suggesting that it could unfairly bias the jury against their client. They invoked the recent Harvey Weinstein case as an example of the pitfalls of introducing salacious evidence to sway a jury. Trump’s attorneys have already moved for a mistrial and are preparing for an appeal if necessary.
Davidson’s recorded remarks, combined with Daniels’ testimony, suggest that she may have been more interested in leveraging her story for financial gain rather than seeking justice. Trump’s attorneys have vowed to continue fighting what they perceive as a politically motivated case aimed at discrediting the former president. As the trial continues, Judge Merchan explicitly barred prosecutors from introducing evidence of Trump’s other alleged misdeeds.