The testimony of Michael D. Cohen on Monday highlighted the extensive efforts made to cover up Donald J. Trump’s alleged affairs with women in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Cohen and a team at The National Enquirer were constantly discussing how to keep these women quiet, even as new accounts emerged that required awkward conversations with the candidate. They engaged accounting departments, created front companies, and produced misleading invoices. The “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Trump talked about groping women, caused panic among his aides, who reached out to the news media for damage control.
Cohen revealed that Trump described the language on the “Access Hollywood” tape as “locker-room talk,” a phrase he attributed to his wife Melania. When Stormy Daniels threatened to go public with an alleged sexual liaison with Trump, Cohen asked Trump directly if he had sex with her, to which Trump did not respond directly but called Daniels “a beautiful woman.” Trump expressed anger at the possibility of Daniels sharing her account and believed it would be detrimental to the campaign, stating that while guys might think it’s cool, women would hate him. Cohen testified that Trump instructed him to “just take care of it” regarding Daniels’s story.
To address the situation with Stormy Daniels, Cohen established a bank account for Essential Consultants L.L.C., which he created in October 2016 and funded from his home-equity line of credit. He kept the transactions discreet, not including an address on the checks he wrote, and wired the payment to Keith Davidson, Daniels’s lawyer, about two weeks before the election. A banker who was used to routine requests testified that every time Cohen spoke to him, there was a sense of urgency in his actions. Cohen’s actions were driven by a need to ensure his wife did not find out about any transactions with Daniels.
The testimony shed light on the anxiety and careful planning that went into managing Trump’s extramarital affairs during the 2016 campaign. The extent of the cover-up efforts, including discussions at The National Enquirer, creation of front companies, and production of misleading invoices, highlighted the concern among Trump’s team about the impact these affairs could have on female voters. Trump’s response to the “Access Hollywood” tape, where he dismissed the remarks as locker-room talk, and his subsequent reaction to the Stormy Daniels situation, illustrated his concern about potential backlash from women voters and the negative impact on his campaign.
Cohen’s testimony also revealed the depth of Trump’s involvement in handling the Stormy Daniels situation, including his direct conversations with Cohen about the matter and his instructions to take care of it. The establishment of Essential Consultants L.L.C. and the discreet handling of payments to Daniels’s lawyer further underscored the efforts to keep the affair private and away from the public eye. The urgency felt by Cohen, as described by a banker who witnessed his actions, highlighted the pressure and importance placed on resolving the situation quickly and discreetly to protect Trump’s reputation and campaign.
Overall, the testimony provided a detailed account of the lengths to which Trump’s aides and Cohen went to deal with his alleged affairs during the 2016 campaign. The urgency, planning, and impact on the campaign were evident in the discussions, actions, and reactions outlined in the testimony. The insights into Trump’s response to the controversies surrounding his affairs, as well as his involvement in managing the situations, shed light on the dynamics within his inner circle and the priorities placed on preserving his public image and electoral prospects.
