Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for porn actress Stormy Daniels, said he is certain there are several audio recordings between President Trump and his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, and argued that the recordings should be released immediately.
Avenatti tweeted that message after it was reported that Cohen covertly recorded Trump talking about a payment to a former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, shortly before the 2016 election.
“I know for a fact that this is not the only tape,â Avenatti said during an interview with MSNBC Friday.
[Opinion: How many tapes of Trump did Michael Cohen have?]
“There are multiple audio recordings, and our position is that they should be released immediately. So again, the American people can decide what the next steps are. Period.”
â @MichaelAvenatti tells @mitchellreports pic.twitter.com/nivEFYYJ2J
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 20, 2018
Daniels has been embroiled in a legal battle with President Trump over an alleged extramarital affair. Cohen paid her $130,000 in exchange for her silence on the affair, but she filed a lawsuit earlier this year claiming the nondisclosure agreement she signed should be nullified because Trump didnât sign it.
McDougal, who also claims to have had a sexual relationship with Trump, was paid $150,000 for exclusive rights of her story from the publisher of the National Enquirer, in exchange for her silence on the matter. However, the story never was published.
The New York Times released a report Friday saying that Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani verified that a recording of Trump discussing the payment to McDougal existed, and said it is âpowerful exculpatory evidence.â
“I’m not at liberty to get into the details relating to what I’ve seen or what I’ve heard, but there are multiple audio recordings, and our position is that they should be released immediately,â Avenatti said. âSo again, the American people can decide what the next steps are. Period.”
Avenatti claimed in May that Cohen recorded Trump discussing Daniels, and urged at the time for the recordings to be released to Congress and the public.
[Opinion: Michael Cohen’s tape of Trump isn’t that big a deal â yet]
Here is what I said less than two months ago. I demanded the release of what I called the #TrumpTapes then, and I am demanding the release of them again now. #Basta https://t.co/vfES5ncVFT
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) July 20, 2018
Cohenâs home and office were raided by the FBI in April, where agents seized computers, phones, and other materials of Cohenâs, including documents pertaining to Daniels. Cohen is under investigation for potentially violating tax or campaign finance laws.
Trump has denied the alleged affairs with McDougal and Daniels.
