- Trump's hush money trial came to a head in a heated cross-examination by the National Enquirer on Thursday.
- Stormy Daniels' representative Keith Davidson has been slammed by Trump's lawyers for his past sordid lawsuits.
- The names of Charlie Sheen, Hulk Hogan, Lindsay Lohan and Tila Tequila have all been removed.
The National Enquirer has always been the colorful backdrop for Donald Trump's hush money trial.
But Thursday's testimony was packed with stories about C-list celebrities' sex tapes and rehab scoops, as if a supermarket tabloid had somehow swallowed the proceedings.
Charlie Sheen, Hulk Hogan, Lindsay Lohan, Floyd Mayweather, Tila Tequila — all were withheld by name during morning testimony.
Why did they appear in cameos during the second week of testimony in the only criminal trial ever against a current or former president?
Each was found to have clashed with lawyer Keith Davidson, a key prosecution witness who represented former Playboy Bunny Karen McDougall and porn star Stormy Daniels.
Manhattan prosecutors allege that Trump falsified 34 business records to conceal illegal hush money payments he made to Daniels in 2016 that influenced the election.
Mr. Davidson directly told jurors how both women pursued catch-and-kill cash from the Enquirer because of their stories of sex with Mr. Trump.
On Thursday, Trump's lawyer Emile Bove launched an attack.
Mr. Bove appears to have one main task in cross-examining Mr. Davidson. It was about putting distance between Mr. Trump and his campaign on the one hand, and his lawyers' responses on the other.
“You've never met President Trump, have you?” Bove asked Davidson as his first question.
“Never,” Davidson replied.
“And Tuesday is the first time you've been in the same room as him, right?” Bove asked.
“That's right,” the witness replied.
“You've never talked to President Trump?”
“Never,” he answered.
scandal and money
Bove then went on the offensive, asking a series of questions that suggested Davidson, who was a top source of stories for Enquirer editors, had made a career of spreading shakedowns and scandals.
The content of this interrogation suggests that Trump is the victim, not the instigator, of any hush money scheme.
“What does the word 'extortion' mean to you?” Bove asked Davidson.
“Extortion means-” Davidson stammered. “It's the acquisition of property through fear and threat of force,” he said.
“When you were negotiating on behalf of Ms. McDougall and Stormy Daniels, one of your concerns was staying on the right side regarding extortion, right?” Bove asked.
“I think so,” Davidson answered hesitantly.
At another point, Mr. Bove asked, “Back in 2016, you were pretty good at getting to the last minute without extortion, right?”
“I don't understand your question,” Davidson said after a pause.
And it was in this context that Thursday's onslaught of C-lister cameos occurred.
First off, Hulk Hogan
“Isn't it true that you were investigated by state and federal authorities for extortion against Terry Bollea and Hulk Hogan in connection with the events of 2012?” Bove asked.
Bollea is Hogan's real name.
“That's true,” Davidson replied.
Davidson was then asked about Hogan's infamous sex tape. It was he who pursued Hogan for cash to buy and bury the tape, Davidson admitted.
“At some point in 2012, you contacted Hulk Hogan's agent, right?”
“Yes,” Davidson replied.
“You made a financial request to Hulk Hogan's representatives not to release these tapes, right?” Bove asked.
“No,” Davidson replied.
Moments later, as Bove's cross-examination continued, Davidson backpedaled.
“Did you ask for money?” Bove asked.
“There was a financial demand,” Davidson answered vaguely.
“Was that so Hulk Hogan could buy the tapes? The rights to the tapes?” Bove asked.
“Yes,” Davidson admitted.
Then Lindsay Lohan
Davidson said he also represented employees of the Betty Ford Rehabilitation Clinic in 2010.
And she “divulged information about Lindsay Lohan's treatment at a rehab facility, right?” Bove asked.
Davidson took a long sip of water and was silent for a very long time.
“That's what she reportedly did,” the witness answered cautiously.
Bove noted that the article appeared on TMZ and asked, “And you had connections at TMZ at the time, right?”
“That's right,” Davidson replied.
“You still do that, right?”
“No. Well, probably,” Davidson replied.
“Perhaps,” Bove answered skeptically.
In connection with the Lohan spill, you helped former employees of the rehabilitation facility receive their paychecks, Mr. Bove demanded.
“I don't remember,” Davidson replied.
“Don’t you remember when TMZ paid you $10,000 during this time?
“I don't remember,” Davidson replied again.
Next up is Tila Tequila
“Do you know who Tila Tequila is?” So Bove suddenly asked the reality TV personality.
“Yes,” Davidson replied.
“And in 2010, you took steps to broker a sex tape deal involving her, right?”
“I think so,” Davidson replied.
Davidson was asked if he was working on an “engagement” with someone named Kevin Bratt — “sort of known as the sex tape broker, right?”
“I think that's fair,” Davidson answered cautiously.
Mr. Bove asked Mr. Davidson if he remembered that “Ms. Tequila” had threatened to release the sex tape if the man did not pay her $75,000.
“I don't remember that,” Davidson replied.
“I don't remember when you made that deal, but were you suspended from practicing law for 90 days?” Bobe pressed.
“I don't remember that,” Davidson replied again.
And finally… Charlie Sheen
Then, without warning, the topic of cross-examination turned to Charlie Sheen.
“You know who Charlie Sheen is, right?” Bove asked.
“Yes,” Davidson replied.
“And you've represented some clients who helped get paid by Charlie Sheen, right?” Bove asked.
“I have represented several clients who have filed claims against Charlie Sheen,” Davidson answered carefully.
“So on whose behalf did you extract so much money from Charlie Sheen?” the Trump lawyer argued.
Davidson smiled.
“There was no exploitation,” he replied, adding: “We contended that no wrongdoing had taken place and that a valid settlement had been implemented.”
Bove asked Davidson to speak about his defense of one of Sheen's accusers, who he said in 2011 was “under the influence of methamphetamine at the time.”
“Don't you remember when you made her sign the letter and she could barely complete the sentence?” asked Mr. Bove.
“No, I don't remember that,” Davidson replied.
Mr. Davidson testified that did Recall that the woman was introduced to him by Brat, a so-called sex tape broker. However, she does not remember whether Sheen paid the woman $2 million.
“Would you say your memory is a little fuzzy on some of these issues?” Bove asked.
“I've had 1,500 customers in my career,” Davidson protested. “You are asking me about something that happened many years ago.”
“Is a $2 million payout a typical payout for you in any of these cases? Is it so high that you don't remember? Is that your testimony?” Beauvais asked, raising his voice. Ta.
“I don't remember the settlement from 13 years ago,” Davidson replied.
At another point in Mr. Sheen's portion of Thursday's testimony, Mr. Bove asked Mr. Davidson if he remembered “extracting another settlement from Mr. Sheen” on behalf of Mr. Capri Anderson.
“Again, it wasn't an extraction,” Davidson responded.
“Mr. Sheen paid you, didn't he?'' asked Bove.
“Assuming Alkendo actually paid and there was a settlement agreement, that settlement would be confidential,” Davidson flatly stated. “And I won't discuss that here.”
“Here,” Bove shot back. “We're both lawyers. We're not here to play lawyer with you. We're just here to ask questions and get straight answers.”
The judge objected to this non-question by the prosecution.
Davidson then invoked attorney-client privilege and declined to say whether a settlement had been reached between Anderson and Sheen.
Testimony continues Friday.
