GOP Strategist: Cohen Tape Reveals Trump Systematically Silenced Women
*By Alisha Haridasani*
When he released the tapes of President Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen, Cohen’s lawyer not only caused a media firestorm, but he may have also pulled back the curtain on Trump's systematic tactics to quiet women from his past.
“These were two guys talking the same way you and I might talk about what to order off the Chinese menu,” said Republican political strategist Rick Wilson on Cheddar Wednesday. "I think what this speaks to is something that Americans should really focus onーthat Donald Trump had a system in place inside of his organization that was devised and directed to deal with the women with whom he had various affairs.”
The recording was seized by the FBI in April when officers raided Cohen’s office. A federal investigation is underway, probing whether Trump and Cohen violated campaign finance laws and offered hush money to womenーamong them, adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougalーwho claimed they had affairs with Trump.
Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis handed the tape to CNN’s Chris Cuomo who then played it live on-air late Tuesday.
In the secret conversationーrecorded two months before the 2016 electionーCohen says, “I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David.”
Cohen is likely referring to David Pecker, head of American Media, which publishes the National Enquirer. The company paid McDougal for her story about her rumored affair with the president but never published it, effectively gagging McDougal.
Trump can then be heard saying the word “cash” but because of the muddled audio, it is unclear what precedes it.
Trump's new attorney Rudy Giuliani claims Trump said "*don't* pay with cash," sticking with his previous claims that Trump wanted everything on paper.
“That wasn’t a heated, excitable conversation,” said Wilson. “We should be shocked with how normal they found it.”
Trump responded to the release of the tape by trying to undermine Cohen's professionalism. "What kind of lawyer would tape a client?" he [tweeted](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1022097879253635072) on Wednesday. "Why was the tape so abruptly terminated (cut) while I was presumably saying positive things?"
The president has denied having the affairーor any knowledge of the payments. The recording seems to undermine that assertion.
"Trump wasn't just this naive guy who mysteriously was beset with women trying to get money from him," said Wilson. "He was a guy who went out, had a lot of these affairs, had a lot of these relationships, and then turned around and used his power, money, and influence to silence them."
The tapes also signify the danger Cohen poses to the White House. For decades, he was Trump's main "fixer" and, presumably, has unlimited knowledge of Trump's past business, political, and personal dealings.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rick-wilson-weighs-in-on-the-contents-of-the-secret-cohen-trump-recording).
Later today House Republicans will grill Snap, Tiktok and Youtube on how their products affect the mental health of teenagers. It comes after a report revealed that Facebook's photo sharing platform, Instagram, can be harmful to teen's mental health. Rishi Bharwani, Director of Partnerships and Policy, Accountable Tech joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
As the White House and Congressional leaders work towards finalizing the legislative framework of the Build Back Better budget deal, paid family leave, one of the hallmarks of President Joe Biden's Social Safety Net agenda, still stands in flux. Molly Day, Executive Director, Paid Leave for the U.S. joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss why the finalization of this bill is imperative.
Marjorie Mesidor, Esq., Partner, Phillips and Associates, PLLC and Dr. Anthony Santela, professor of health administration and university covid coordinator at the University of New Haven join J.D. Durkin and None Of The Above to talk about the expected fallout from New York City's vaccine mandate.
Leaders around the world have come together to discuss plans to bring action towards the Paris Agreement along with solutions on how to solve the evolving climate change crisis at the COP26 Summit. President and CEO of Center for International Environmental Law Carroll Muffett, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Rachel Cleetus, the policy director and lead economist of the climate and energy program for the Union of Concerned Scientists, joined Cheddar to break down some of the key goals from the COP26 summit and why leaders must focus on the science of climate change instead of getting bogged down by petty politics and the fossil fuel industry. "The main thing they have to do, make sure we're cutting our emissions sharply within this decade because the science shows that we have to cut global emissions in half by 2030 if we're going to meet our goals of averting some of the most catastrophic impacts of climate change," she said.
Carlo and Baker cover the big races to watch on this off-cycle Election Day, the concrete pledges starting to come out of COP26, Jeffrey Epstein keeps causing CEOs to lose their jobs, and Ryan Murphy's TV hit that wasn't.
The Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq begin November by not only ending Monday's session higher but with a record close as well. Melissa Armo, Founder and Owner of The Stock Swoosh, has her eye on major economic storylines and joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what role the news could play on Wall Street.
The UN climate change conference kicked off on Sunday with about 120 world leaders and delegates gathering in Glasgow, Scotland this week, as experts continue to warn about the harms of heightened emissions and the effects on climate change. The topic of ESG investing is expected to be a top priority at the summit. Jefferies global head of ESG and sustainability research Aniket Shah joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Gifted and talented education programs in schools throughout the United States are falling under greater scrutiny as the race and class divide in the programs remain wide. Marcia Gentry, a professor of educational studies and the director of the Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute at Purdue University, joined Cheddar to weigh in on if advanced tracking for students can also be equitable for lower income students and students of color.
The Supreme Court is now weighing in on one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws. The Texas law, which was enacted on September 1, bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. In addition, it allows any private citizen to sue anyone who helps a woman get an abortion. Jimmy Hoover, Supreme Court Editor-At-Large at Law360, joined Cheddar News to discuss more.
