CNN Legal Analyst Says 4 Words From Trial Are ‘Ominous’ For Donald Trump
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CNN legal analyst Norman Eisen explained in a new opinion piece why he believes a four-word text message read during Donald Trump’s hush money trial Thursday is “ominous” for the former president.
“What have we done?” read the text message that attorney Keith Davidson sent to then-National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard on election night 2016.
“Oh my god,” Howard responded.
Davidson brokered hush money deals for porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep quiet about their alleged affairs with Trump, while Howard’s publication’s “catch and kill” scheme buried stories that could be potentially damaging to Trump’s campaign.
Asked in court on Thursday what he meant by the message, Davidson replied: “This was sort of gallows humor on election night as the results were coming in. There was an understanding that our efforts — strike that — that our activities may have assisted the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.”
The prosecutor shows Keith Davidson his reaction to Trump's imminent victory: "What have we done?"
Davidson: "This was sort of gallows humor. It was on election night as the results were coming in [...] There was a growing sense that people were about to call Trump's election." pic.twitter.com/1Du7NEf5WB— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 2, 2024
Eisen said Davidson’s acknowledgment saw “the normal hush of the courtroom” suddenly “punctuated by the audible clattering of the keyboards of more than 60 journalists seated in the pew-like benches.”
It’s because the message “reflects the purpose of the payment,” he explained.
“Without the intent to cover up another offense, falsifying documents is just a misdemeanor,” Eisen said. “The reason Trump has been charged with felony document falsification here is because it was allegedly done with intent to cover up a payment in excess of campaign contribution limits that was made in order to impact an election.”
The trial continues Friday.
Read Eisen’s full analysis here.
