Secret recording of Cohen-Trump conversation revealed
Washington, July 25 : A secret audio recording of then-US presidential candidate Donald Trump with his recently estranged lawyer Michael Cohen speaking in 2016 about making a payment to Playboy playmate Karen McDougal has been obtained by CNN.
In the tape obtained by the channel network on Tuesday both Trump and Cohen discuss a transfer of money to a company for "info regarding our friend David" -- an apparent reference to David Pecker, the CEO of American Media Inc. which owns the National Enquirer.
The audio, made in September of 2016, is the first evidence that Trump knew about the payment.
"I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David," Cohen said in the recording. Trump interrupts Cohen asking: "What financing?"
Cohen then tells Trump, "We'll have to pay" and Trump is heard saying "pay with cash". Cohen is heard saying "no no no".
American Media, Inc. allegedly spent $150,000 in August of 2016 for a story from Karen McDougal, the playmate who claimed she had a 10-month affair with Trump.
But the expose never ran.
McDougal's sued the company earlier in 2018 for the rights to tell her story.
Her lawyers claimed that the purchase was part of a "catch-and-kill" strategy to bury her tale and protect then-candidate Trump from negative press.
The lawsuit was eventually settled and freed McDougal from the contract which she claimed she was "misled into signing". Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, however, has refuted all payment claims, the New York Post reported.
Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis, who provided the audio tapes to the network, said it showed his client knows the truth about Trump. "This is about honesty versus false disparagement of Michael Cohen," Davis told CNN.
"Why is Giuliani out falsely disparaging Michael Cohen -- because they fear him… They fear that he has the truth about Donald Trump.
"The truth is that when Donald Trump said ‘cash' which Rudy Giuliani knows that only drug dealers and mobsters talk about cash, it was, you heard Michael Cohen… say what? ‘No, no, no, no'."
The tapes were among others seized by federal authorities in a raid of Cohen's home and office.
CNN presenter Chris Cuomo tweeted on Tuesday: "Full audio: Presidential candidate Trump is heard on tape discussing with his attorney Michael Cohen how they would buy the rights to a Playboy model's story about an alleged affair Trump had with her years earlier, according to the audio recording "https://cnn.it/2v5Xe1E".
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Shivakumar urges centre to intervene on Alamatti dam height issue
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday urged the Centre to intervene and allow Karnataka to raise the height of the Almatti dam across the Krishna river.
He also said that he will lead an all-party delegation to Delhi in this regard.
Noting that all three states -- Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra -- have opposed the project, he said the Andhra Pradesh government has asked the Centre not to allow Karnataka acquire land for the proposed project to increase the dam's height from 519 meters to 524 meters.
"Andhra Pradesh government has written to the Centre asking it to refrain from giving any approval or gazette notification that allows Karnataka to carry out land acquisition for the proposed project stating the matter is pending before the Supreme Court," Shivakumar, who is also the state's water resources minister said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, the Union Water Resources Secretary has sought Karnataka's response. "We will reply to it after consulting legal experts."
"I did not expect Andhra Pradesh to react this way. (Andhra Pradesh CM) Chandrababu Naidu is an experienced politician; he is aware of everything, but they are now putting such pressure on the centre. I'm unable to understand this," he said.
Noting that the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) award permitted Karnataka to raise the dam to 524 metres and that there was no stay from the Supreme Court, the Deputy CM said and appealed to the Centre to act in accordance with earlier orders.
He also appealed to all the parliament members of Karnataka to put pressure on the central government in this regard, in the interest of the state.
"I will be sending all the details and records to our MPs; we need to build pressure on the centre, Prime Minister and the Union Jal Shakti minister on the issue when the Parliament session begins on March 10," he said, adding that he also plans to lead an all-party delegation to Delhi in this regard.
Pointing out that the Karnataka cabinet, on September 16, 2025, decided to acquire 1.33 lakh acres of land for this project in one go, through consent acquisition, and planned to allocate Rs 70,000 crore for land acquisition in three phases, Shivakumar said, adding, "Now obstacles are being caused to it."
Further delays would escalate costs, he said, as land compensation has become a major burden, with courts awarding higher payouts after farmers rejected earlier offers of Rs 8-9 lakh per acre during the previous BJP government.
"After deliberations, compensation is fixed in the range of Rs 35-40 lakh per acre, with some awards reaching Rs 10 crore because of litigations," he said, adding that around Rs 20,000 crore has already been spent on the project.
Asserting that it is "our water, our land", Shivakumar said, "I appeal to Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra not to interfere in this project; it is not good for you."
