The panicked texts Hope Hicks sent to Michael Cohen when the details of the McDougal deal were released just FOUR DAYS before the 2016 election…with hints about Stormy Daniels
Text messages exchanged by two key Trump insiders reveal their panic when a newspaper approached a story about a Playboy model and her accusation of an affair just four days before the 2016 election.
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s personal attorney, repeatedly messaged Hope Hicks, press secretary for Donald Trump’s campaign, asking if there had been any developments.
Finally, she responds with a link to the published story, headlined: “National Enquirer Shields Donald Trump from Playboy Model’s Affair Accusation.”
Nearly eight years later, the fallout from that story is reverberating in a Manhattan criminal court, where the former president is on trial, accused of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to another woman.
But at the time, reports showed that Hicks and Cohen were hoping the story about 1998 Playmate of the Year Karen McDougal will just go away. They know that hidden deep within the piece is another thread for journalists to investigate: the name “Stormy Daniels.”
Texts between top Trump aides Michael Cohen and Hope Hicks from days before the 2016 election were released in court on Thursday. They show the panic as they wait for a report from the Wall Street Journal on allegations that a Playboy model has been rewarded
A Wall Street Journal story published days before the 2016 election echoes in Courtroom 1530 of Manhattan Criminal Court, where Donald Trump is on trial
“Lots of innuendo with few facts,” Cohen writes.
‘Badly written and I don’t see it getting much play.’
Hicks replies, “I mostly agree with that!! It will play out because the media is the worst, but he should just ignore it and blow past it.”
Trump’s treatment of women was already under fire following the release of the “Inside Hollywood” tape, in which he bragged about the way he treated female admirers.
And now the new story suggested an expensive scheme to silence women who had affairs with the Republican candidate.
Cohen, who later admitted to facilitating the $150,000 payment, suggests that Trump should quickly draw the line under it.
“One quick statement from him to blow off steam and say there is no validity and that WSJ has become a dirty newspaper,” he says.
“Yes,” Hicks replies. ‘Ok pray Michael, pray!!!’
Early the next morning, Cohen is ready to breathe a sigh of relief.
“So far I only see six stories,” he writes. “Getting little to no traction.”
After going through the story about a hush money payment, they reject it, hoping it will blow over. It’s just four days before the 2016 election, which pits Trump against Hillary Clinton
At the time, Hicks was the Trump campaign’s press secretary and Cohen was Trump’s lawyer
Little did they know, the story would set in motion a path that would lead to Courtroom 1530 of the Manhattan Criminal Court, where their text messages were introduced into evidence Thursday.
Both are expected to appear as witnesses for the prosecution to answer questions about how the so-called “catch and kill” deal, to buy and bury negative stories, was negotiated and paid for.
Last week, US tabloid David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer, described how he offered to act as the campaign’s “eyes and ears” at a crucial Trump Tower meeting in 2015.
And this week, the court heard from the celebrity lawyer who helped Karen McDougal, the Playboy model, sell her story.
Trump denies all 34 charges of falsifying company records, and his lawyers have tried to show that he was targeted by muckrakers and extortionists.
But in the days before the election, both Hicks and Cohen were convinced the story would die down.
‘Keep praying!! It functions!’ Hicks sent a message to the lawyer.
The Wall Street Journal reported on November 4, 2016 that the company that owns the National Enquirer agreed to pay $150,000 to Karen McDougal for her story about an affair a decade ago with the Republican presidential candidate, but then did not publish it.
At the time, Cohen was already involved in a payment to a second woman, Stephanie Clifford, whose stage name was Stormy Daniels. Her name comes up in the Wall Street Journal story.
It details how famed attorney Keith Davidson represented both Clifford and McDougal, and that she had been on speaking terms with ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ to discuss a past relationship with Trump before breaking off the talks.
Cohen says he has a denial ready if necessary.
“Not even CNN talks about it,” he replied. ‘Nobody believes it and if necessary I have a statement from Storm in which he denies everything and contradicts the statement of the other porn stars.
“I wouldn’t use it now or even talk to him about it because no one talks about this or cares!”
Hicks asks him to keep in touch and he replies moments later, “I can’t wait for this to be over…especially with a win.”
Trump won a shocking victory over Hillary Clinton in the election, but the fallout from the story was just beginning.