{"id":2236199,"date":"2024-05-03T05:20:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T09:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-stormy-daniels-attorney-grilled-on-celebrity-extortion\/"},"modified":"2024-05-03T05:22:47","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T09:22:47","slug":"trump-trial-stormy-daniels-attorney-grilled-on-celebrity-extortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-stormy-daniels-attorney-grilled-on-celebrity-extortion\/","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump Trial: Tough Questioning for Stormy Daniels&#8217; Lawyer Regarding Celeb Extortion"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-trial-stormy-daniels-attorney-grilled-on-celebrity-extortion%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2236199&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A lawyer faced rigorous questioning from Donald \u2062Trump&#8217;s defense team in New\u2064 York about nondisclosure agreements and extortion concerns. The\u2063 lawyer, representing women in Trump&#8217;s \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-big-problem-with-the-stormy-daniels-hush-money-case-against-trump\/\" title=\"The Big Problem With The Stormy Daniels Hush Money Case Against Trump\">hush money case<\/a>, \u2064was scrutinized for his negotiation methods. The trial\u200d delved into past dealings\u2063 with celebrities like Hulk Hogan and the\u200d efforts to keep stories\u2064 hidden before the 2016 election. A lawyer\u2064 representing women in Trump&#8217;s hush \u200cmoney case underwent intense questioning from Donald \u200cTrump&#8217;s defense\u200c team in\u2062 New\u2064 York regarding \u2064nondisclosure agreements and extortion issues. The trial explored his\u200c negotiation tactics and past interactions with celebrities such as Hulk Hogan, shedding light on\u2062 efforts to conceal stories prior to the 2016 \u2062election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A lawyer was questioned by former President Donald Trump\u2019s defense team in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"New York\">New York<\/a> on Thursday about his efforts to reach nondisclosure agreements with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ilhan-omar-other-leftists-distract-from-capitol-attack-by-focusing-on-gun-control-and-racism\/\" title=\"Ilhan Omar, Other Leftists, Distract From Capitol Attack By Focusing On Gun Control And Racism\">high-profile figures<\/a> and whether his work ever amounted to extortion.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s attorney asked Keith Davidson, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/2985902\/trump-trial-stormy-daniels-lawyer-testifies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>represented<\/a> two women now entangled in Trump\u2019s hush money case, if he was worried about violating extortion laws when he negotiated payments for his clients.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were pretty well-versed in getting right up to the line without committing extortion, right?\u201d Trump attorney Emil Bove asked, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/politics\/live-news\/trump-hush-money-trial-05-02-24\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reports<\/a> of the court proceedings by CNN.<\/p>\n<p>Davidson responded that he did not understand the question, but when pressed further, he conceded that he \u201chad to be careful\u201d about extortion, a typically illegal practice of threatening people for financial gain.<\/p>\n<p>Bove broached other celebrities, asking if Davidson sought payments from wrestling star Hulk Hogan, actors Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan, and reality TV personality Tila Tequila.<\/p>\n<p>Davidson, a Los Angeles-based lawyer known for his work on nondisclosure settlements, admitted during the questioning that in 2012, he was once investigated for extortion while seeking money from Hogan in exchange for burying a sex tape.<\/p>\n<p>On several occasions, however, Davidson either <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nathan-wades-attorney-to-take-the-stand-in-trump-election-case\/\" title=\"Nathan Wade's lawyer to testify in Trump election case\">invoked attorney-client privilege<\/a> or said he did not recall the work he did for other celebrities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour memory seems a little fuzzy around some of these issues,\u201d Bove observed.<\/p>\n<p>When Bove asked Davidson if he \u201cextracted\u201d payments from the celebrities, a heated exchange ensued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re both lawyers. I\u2019m not here to play lawyer games with you,\u201d Bove said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re getting truthful answers, sir,\u201d Davidson said, adding, \u201cIf you\u2019re not here to play legal games, then don\u2019t say \u2018extract.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Davidson is a key witness for prosecutors, who are attempting to prove Trump orchestrated hush money payments to two of Davidson\u2019s clients, former Playboy model Karen McDougal and porn star Stormy Daniels, to help his election prospects in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Davidson negotiated an agreement in the summer of 2016 for a tabloid company to pay McDougal $150,000 to suppress a story about an alleged affair McDougal had with Trump. Later that year, Davidson represented Daniels when he pushed Trump\u2019s former attorney Michael Cohen to pay $130,000 to silence her about her alleged relations with Trump. The payments prevented the women\u2019s stories from becoming public in the lead-up to the election.<\/p>\n<p>Most of the day in court was centered on Davidson. While prosecutors used Davidson to attempt to prove that Cohen was operating at the behest of Trump as part of a conspiracy to throw the election, Bove illustrated how Davidson\u2019s livelihood for years involved shaking down celebrities with threats that embarrassing details about their lives would become public if they did not pay up.<\/p>\n<p>Attorney Andrew Weissmann, a vocal Trump critic, said on X that the \u201cproper\u201d cross-examination would have been \u201cto point out that [Davidson] had NO dealings directly with Trump and then to sit the hell down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInstead Bove chose to try to make Davidson out to be a sleaze- odd choice \u2026 One suspects the cross was at the direction of the client, one Donald J. Trump,\u201d Weissmann said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump, who is obligated to be present in court every day of the trial, is facing charges that he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-tumultuous-day-in-court-ends-with-complete-bench-of-jurors\/\" title=\"Trump trial concludes with full jury\">illegally concealed payments<\/a> to Daniels after the election. Prosecutors must prove that Trump hid the payments as part of a plot to swing the 2016 election in his favor. Defense attorneys have emphasized that there is nothing illegal about attempting to influence an election.<\/p>\n<p>Davidson spoke carefully during his testimony, defending his legal practices and at one point <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/2988675\/trump-trial-stormy-daniels-lawyer-balks-at-term-hush-money\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>taking issue<\/a> with the term \u201chush money\u201d in reference to the payment he negotiated for Daniels. The money was instead \u201cconsideration in a civil settlement,\u201d Davidson said.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors scrutinized a 2018 statement Daniels released as they sought to clarify with Davidson the nature of Daniels and Trump\u2019s relationship. Daniels in the statement said she was \u201cdenying this affair because it never happened,\u201d but she later walked back that claim.<\/p>\n<p>Davidson strained to defend the statement, repeatedly saying it was \u201ctechnically\u201d true and that Trump and Daniels were never \u201cromantic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump spoke with reporters at the end of the day and said he was \u201cvery happy about the way things are going.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Asked what he thought about Davidson\u2019s testimony, Trump jumped to saying he is \u201cnot allowed to testify\u201d because of his gag order. The order, imposed by Judge Juan Merchan, does not restrict Trump from testifying in his trial, but it does prohibit him from speaking about witnesses like Davidson outside of the courtroom.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Davidson question was \u201cthe easiest question so far, but I\u2019m not allowed to testify because this judge is totally conflicted, has me under an unconstitutional gag order,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p>After he left the courthouse, the former president was spotted delivering pizza to a New York City fire station.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In New York, Donald Trump&#8217;s defense team grilled lawyer Keith Davidson on Thursday, probing his endeavors to secure nondisclosure deals with prominent individuals and probing potential extortion claims. Trump&#8217;s attorney questioned Davidson, who represented two women in Trump&#8217;s hush money case, about any concerns he had regarding his actions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2236200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/trump-stormy-daniels-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2236199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/trump-stormy-daniels-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2236199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2236199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2236199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2236200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2236199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2236199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2236199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}