Keith Davidson said in one text that McDougal was 'being cornered by the estrogen mafia'
In one text exchange between Keith Davidson and Dylan Howard, Davidson said, “Don’t forget about Cohen. Time is of the essence. The girl is being cornered by the estrogen mafia."
Davidson testified, “That was a very unfortunate, regrettable text I sent. That phrase is not one that I used or came up with. That was a term by one of, I think, one of Karen’s associates that was at the first meeting. And there was several women who were leaning on Karen to sign a deal with ABC.”
Trump campaign fundraises off of fine for violating gag order
The Trump campaign swiftly moved to fundraise off of the fine the former president received for violating Merchan’s gag order, sending an email this morning arguing that the fine is part of an effort to “silence” him.
“A Democrat judge JUST HELD ME IN CONTEMPT OF COURT!” an email from the Trump campaign this morning reads. “I was fined $9,000 for 9 gag order violations. THEY WANT TO SILENCE ME!
The email goes onto decry the gag order as an “undeniable election interference” effort and includes a link to contribute financially to his campaign.
Keith Davidson describes meeting in which McDougal alleged affair with Trump for 'several weeks to months'
Davidson said that by June 20, 2016, Dylan Howard texted him that he had landed and was en route to Davidson’s office, where they met with McDougal, Jay Giardina (her ex-brother-in-law), and a man named Johnny Crawford, a friend of McDougal's.
At that meeting, McDougal alleged she had had a romantic and sexual affair with Donald Trump for “several weeks to months” some years prior.
Davidson is detailing meetings and details we first learned about from David Pecker’s testimony, but with more details and from a different vantage point.
Text exchange between Davidson and Enquirer reporter revealed Trump and McDougal's affair
Keith Davidson testified that he had texted with National Enquirer reporter Dylan Howard, saying he had a "blockbuster Trump story," in June 2016.
Davidson testified that the story was about the interactions between Trump and Davidson's client, Karen McDougal.
Howard had responded to Davison, "Talk 1st thing, I will get you more than ANYONE for it. You know why..."
Davidson said he didn't know if he had a "clear understanding at the time" of Howard's text.
"But I knew that Dylan’s boss David Pecker and Mr. Trump were longtime friends and had a former business relationship," Davison continued.
"Mr. Pecker published Trump magazine, and at the time, AMI had announced, kind of announced explicitly that they had endorsed Mr. Trump’s candidacy," Davidson continued.
Howard had gone on to text Davidson asking if Trump cheated on Melania Trump or if the affair with McDougal happened during his marriage with her.
Davidson had responded, "I really can’t say yet, sorry," in a text. He testified today that he hadn't been prepared to discuss the details at that point.
Prosecutor shows texts between McDougal's lawyer and Dylan Howard: 'Did he cheat on Melania?'
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass introduced text messages as evidence between Davidson and Dylan Howard the morning after Davidson told him that he had a "blockbuster Trump story."
"Did he cheat on Melania?" Howard asked Davidson. "Do you know if the affair was during his marriage to Melania."
"I really can't say yet, sorry," Davidson said.
"Okay keep me informed," Howard said.
Davidson says he won’t testify about his conversations with McDougal because of attorney-client privilege
Asked by Steinglass whether he discussed with McDougal that he was authorized to negotiate on her behalf with media companies, Davidson declined to detail his discussions with his client.
“I can’t and won’t discuss what I discussed with Ms. McDougal,” Davidson said, drawing a firm line with respect to attorney-client communications.
Prosecutor begins questioning Keith Davidson about Karen McDougal
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Keith Davidson a few questions about how he knows Karen McDougal. He said he met her about 25 years ago and she was dating his friend.
Asked if he represented McDougal in the summer of 2016, Davidson said, “I represented her in order to provide advice and counsel ... regarding a personal interaction she had ... with Donald Trump."
Trump appears to fall asleep during testimony
Trump appeared to have fallen asleep while listening to testimony — at times appearing to stir and then falling back to sleep.
Trump's eyes were closed for extended periods and his head at times jerked in a way consistent with sleeping.
With reporters mostly stationed in an overflow room and relying on screens showing Trump at a distance, it can be difficult to totally discern the nature of Trump’s shut-eye. His eyes are closed — a lot — but determining whether or not he is actually asleep is particularly tricky given the circumstances.
Davison said he met Cohen after article about Daniels and Trump was published
After being questioned about how the pair met, Keith Davidson testified that he met Michael Cohen after Trump and Stormy Daniels' relationship had been publicized in 2011.
“In approximately 2011, there was an article published in a blog about my client and Donald Trump, and I had occasion to talk to Michael Cohen," Davidson said.
Davidson confirmed that that client was Daniels.
Davidson details his work in civil litigation
Davidson said he is employed by a law firm that he owns, Davidson and Associates, and specializes in civil litigation such as injury and media cases.
He said that he was involved in media cases from 2003 to 2017, and that he regularly worked on nondisclosure agreements from 2015 to 2017 through which parties agreed to not discuss certain subjects.
Davidson said he got immunity through his grand jury testimony but did not seek it.
He acknowledged knowing a talent manager named Gina Rodriguez, who primarily manages reality TV stars, and has known her for more than a decade.