As Twitchy reported late Tuesday night, CNN’s Chris Cuomo aired part of a 2016 recording between then-candidate Donald Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen.
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://t.co/YmC0QuDqTx pic.twitter.com/fBbq7r1Lq9
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) July 25, 2018
Whether you think the tape is impeachment material or a nothing-burger, you have to appreciate the irony that Cohen also secretly recorded a conversation with Cuomo, the same guy who aired the secret recording of Trump.
Michael Cohen recorded conversation about Stormy Daniels payment with news anchor Chris Cuomo https://t.co/AvfpK79YuZ via @WSJ
— Sean Agnew (@seanagnew) July 25, 2018
LOLOLOLOL!!! Cuomo breaks the taped convo last night and now stories come out that Cohen recorded a convo with Cuomo. ?????
— Mary #FlyTheW (@mchastain81) July 25, 2018
Just proves that Cohen is a sleazebag
— Doug Mataconis (@dmataconis) July 25, 2018
And why anyone would trust him is beyond me
— Mary #FlyTheW (@mchastain81) July 25, 2018
It’s also pretty delicious that Trump called it in a tweet Wednesday morning.
What kind of a lawyer would tape a client? So sad! Is this a first, never heard of it before? Why was the tape so abruptly terminated (cut) while I was presumably saying positive things? I hear there are other clients and many reporters that are taped – can this be so? Too bad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2018
According to The Wall Street Journal, Cohen recorded a two-hour conversation with Cuomo:
Michael Cohen recorded a conversation he had with a reporter this year in which he said he arranged “on my own” a $130,000 payment in 2016 to a former adult-film star who alleged an affair with Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.
In the nearly two-hour conversation with CNN reporter Chris Cuomo, which the people said appears to have been surreptitiously recorded by Mr. Cohen, the former Trump lawyer discussed at length the payment he arranged in October 2016, a month before the presidential election, to Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels.
…
During the conversation with Mr. Cuomo, Mr. Cohen assured the reporter that he wasn’t running a tape, according to the people familiar with the matter. He told Mr. Cuomo he was placing the phone in his desk drawer and that the conversation was off the record. The phone appeared to record the entire conversation, the people said.
The Journal also notes that Cuomo and Cohen were chummy, as Cohen had “often appeared on Mr. Cuomo’s CNN show in recent years.”
Michael Cohen does 2 hour phone interview with Chris Cuomo, assures Cuomo he's not secretly recording it. But of course he is. From @WSJ: 'Trump’s Former Lawyer Michael Cohen Recorded Conversation About Stormy Daniels Payment With News Anchor.' https://t.co/z9dtWrJ3sg pic.twitter.com/3lBqvwkazx
— Byron York (@ByronYork) July 25, 2018
Hugh Hewitt called it too after seeing Trump’s tweet.
Here @POTUS is spot on about the fear running up and down spines of journalists who have been pals with Michael Cohen. If you tape one person, you are likely to have taped others…including reporters. https://t.co/iu1QNNTO8Q
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) July 25, 2018
Fairly unlikely any journalist had a conversation with Cohen about setting up dodgy real estate deals or paying off a mistress.
— Patrick McGee (@PatrickMcGee_) July 25, 2018
Of course they haven’t but if you think reporters are comfortable having their conversations secretly recorded you haven’t been in many green rooms where journalists reflexively reach to cover their microphones when speaking candidly. https://t.co/tPpipNfVDX
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) July 25, 2018
I am amused by the number of self-identified journalists implicitly consenting to being secretly taped. Run with that. I am not giving consent to do so. https://t.co/D6EGRvPiCG
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) July 25, 2018
The mating call of the virtue signaling, self-identified journalist is strong in the flock this AM. https://t.co/6o0JUo985X
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) July 25, 2018
This presumes that reporters were saying things to Cohen that would be self-incriminating, like, say, being privy to paying off playmates https://t.co/uXzI4gOjjO
— Sam Stein (@samstein) July 25, 2018
No, no it doesn’t. It presumes some journalists are often self-serving, ingratiating frauds who suck up in private and would be embarrassed to have their conversations played on the airwaves, or who dish on colleagues and competitors, or are @Steelers @UMichFootball or @USC fans https://t.co/ooNG75T19W
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) July 25, 2018
Sick burn.
Last try. If Cohen tapes @POTUS —a client—
he’s likely to tape non-clients. He talks to a lot of journalists. Journalists are often, hmm, unguarded in what they believe to be confi or at least deniable assessments of people, including sources, colleagues. It’s not rocketry https://t.co/2hMibM861i— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) July 25, 2018
And here’s where Hewitt, too, was proved right:
And presto: “Michael Cohen recorded a conversation he had with a reporter this year in which he said he arranged “on my own” a $130,000 payment in 2016 to a former adult-film star who alleged an affair with Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.” @WSJ https://t.co/T1WnswaJqn
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) July 25, 2018
Cohen’s definitely a sleazeball. We wonder how Cuomo felt about being secretly taped by a frequent guest on his show, but The Wall Street Journal notes that “a spokeswoman for CNN declined to comment on Mr. Cuomo’s behalf.”
Related:
Dem Reps. Adam Schiff & Ted Lieu are HOPING this #CohenTape proves Trump violated the law https://t.co/PxMJciDHvs
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 25, 2018
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