MOVING ON TO KAREN McDOUGAL AND THE CATCH AND KILL. >> AND ONE OF THE THINGS, VAUGHN HILLYARD, I HEARD THE DEFENSE DO THIS MORNING WAS TO SAY ACCESS HOLLYWOOD WAS PERSONALLY CHALLENGING FOR DONALD TRUMP. AND ONE OF THE EXHIBITS WAS FROM C-SPAN AND IT WAS TRUMP AT A PODIUM SAYING THIS IS GOING TO KILL ME WITH THE WOMEN. THE WOMEN. MY WOMEN ARE GOING TO -- ONE OF THE PIECES OF EVIDENCE AGAIN. I SAID THIS FIVE WEEKS AGO, THE JURY IS GOING TO BE ASKED TO NOT BELIEVE WHAT THEY COULD SEE WITH THEIR OWN EYES AND HEAR WITH THEIR OWN EARS AND READ IN FRONT OF THEM. AND TAKE ME HOW THIS IS READING OUT AND IF THIS IS A REBUTTAL TO THE ARGUMENT BUT PUSHBACK TO THE ARGUMENTS MADE THIS MORNING. >> Reporter: AS WE'RE SPEAK RIGHT NOW THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPE AND THAT TIME LINE AND IN WEDNESDAY THE DEFENSE, I WAS IN THE COURTHOUSE BEFORE COMING ON TO YOUR SHOW WAS LISTENING TO JOSH STEINGLASS'S PRESENTATION. AND I THINK IF YOU'RE COMPARING ALSO THESE TWO INDIVIDUALS AND HOW THEY EXPLAIN THIS MOMENT IN TIME TO THE JURY, THEY'RE DIA METTICLY OPPOSED TO ONE ANOTHER. YOU HAVE ON ONE HAND THE DEFENSE FOR DONALD TRUMP TODD BLANCHE SUGGESTING IT MAKES NO SENSE THAT SOMEONE WOULD THINK A NATIONAL ENQUIRER STORY WOULD CHANGE THE OUTDOCK OR INFLUENCE THE ELECTION OR WHICH ON ITS HEAD DOESN'T MAKE SENSE WHY PECKER WAS MEETING AT DONALD TRUMP IN THE TRUMP TOWER AND WHY HE MADE THE COMMITMENT TO BE THEIR EYES AND EARS AND IN THAT MEETING DAVID PECKER TESTIFIED THAT HE WOULD INFORM MICHAEL COHEN OF ANY SALACIOUS STORIES INVOLVING WOMEN AND NOTIFY HIM SO THAT HE COULD HAVE THEM KILLED. AND THEN YOU GO TO JOSH STEINGLASS HERE AS WE SPEAK, CURRENTLY PLAYING IT OUT FOR THE JURY AS WELL, AND THIS IS WHERE THEY ARE USING NOT ONLY THE EXHIBITS BUT ALSO MAKING THE CASE THAT DONALD TRUMP'S MOTIVE IN THIS CASE WAS STORMY DANIELS. BECAUSE AGAIN THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE CONSPIRACY HERE. AND WHAT WAS THE MOTIVE TO FALSIFY THE DOCUMENTS. AND THE MOTIVE WAS STORMY DANIELS. AND THAT IS WHERE THE PROSECUTION WAS QUESTIONED AS TO WHY THEY GOT INTO THE SALACIOUS DETAILS BY JOSH STEINGLASS ALREADY MADE THE CASE TO THE JURY THAT THE DETAILS WERE IMPORTANT. BECAUSE IT SHOWED WHERE DONALD TRUMP TOOK THE ACTIONS THAT HE DID AND WHY HE USED MICHAEL COHEN, WHO, WE SHOULD NOTE IN THE LAST HOUR, THE PROSECUTION HAS MADE THE CASE SERVED AS A LIAISON, NOT ONLY TO BILL AND HOWARD AND DAVID PECKER, BUT TO A THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, ALL BY WORKING AS A DEPUTY AND IN A MOMENT OF CRISIS THERE AROUND THE -- THE HOURS AFTER THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPE, WHO DID DONALD TRUMP TURN TO AS WELL IN THE WEEKS AFTER THAT HOLLYWOOD TAPE DROP, HE TURNED TO MICHAEL COHEN. >> I WANT TO BE CLEAR TO OUR VIEWERS. THIS IS NOT A OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT. THESE ARE NOTES FROM OUR REPORTERS IN THE COURTROOM. SO THEY ARE AS CLOSE AS COULD BE ACCOUNTED FOR SOME GRAM ATTICAL STUFF. SO PROSECUTOR DOING WHAT VAUGHN IS DESCRIBING. FOUR WEEKS BEFORE THE ELECTION THE CAMPAIGN WAS ROCKED TO ITS CORE BY THE RELEASE OF THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPE. A VIDEO OF A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DISCUSSING HOW TO GRAB A WOMAN BY THE GENITALS. IT WAS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THEM TRYING TO MAKE THE CASE ABOUT MICHAEL COHEN BUT IT ISN'T THAT. HOPE HICKS TOLD YOU THAT THE NEWS WAS SO BIG IT ECLIPSED THE COVERAGE OF A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE BEARING DOWN ON THE EAST COAST. STEINGLASS, SO I GUESS IT WAS LIKE A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE. ENDORSEMENTS WERE RECONSIDERING AND THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CONSIDERED REPLACING DONALD TRUMP. PREPARATIONS FOR THE DEBATE WB HALTED AS THEY ENTERED INTO DAMAGE MODE. IT ALL BEGAN WITH THIS EMAIL FROM WASHINGTON POST REPORTER DAVID FAHRENTHOLD AND ASKED FOR THE COMMENT AND HOPE HICKS TESTIFIED AT THAT HER INITIAL IDEAS TO QUESTION THE TAPE AND ONCE IT WAS REAL THE CATEGORY SHIFTED FROM DENY, DENY, DENY, TO SPIN. TO RELIVE ALL OF THIS, SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING THAT THE DEFENSE IN SOME WAYS INVITED. I'M GUESSING THE PROSECUTION WOULD HAVE DONE THIS IN WAY, LAID OUT THE MOTIVE FOR THE COVER-UP, BECAUSE THE BUSINESS RECORDS ARE WHERE THE ORIGINAL CRIMINALITY COMES IN AND THE MOTIVE AND THE CAMPAIGN FRAUD IS THE CRIME. BUT TO RELIVE THIS, THIS IS THE MOST DAMAGING STUFF IN DONALD TRUMP'S EYES. THIS IS WHAT HE DIDN'T WANT THE VOTERS TO KNOW. >> AS HE WAS GOING AFTER THAT MEETING AT TRUMP TOWER IN AUGUST OF 2016, JUST TO REINFORCE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS WHEN MICHAEL COHEN AND MEETS WITH DAVID PECKER AND DONALD TRUMP AND THEY COME UP WITH THIS SCENE TO CATCH AND KILL NEGATIVE STORIES. AND I THINK THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO BRING IT BACK TO THAT, BECAUSE THIS MORNING WE JUST HEARD HOW MICHAEL COHEN IS A LIAR AND IT WAS VERY MEANDERING. BUT TO BRING IT BACK TO THE MEETING AT TRUMP TOWER WAS ESSENTIAL TO GET THE JURY'S HEAD BACK TO WHERE THIS CONSPIRACY STARTS AND THAT IS THE REASON THAT WE'RE HERE WITH THE STORMY DANIELS PAYMENT. >> I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT HOPE HICKS IN DISCUSSING THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPE, DID SUCH AN INCREDIBLE JOB OF SHOWING HOW CRUCIAL IT WAS THAT THEY THEN MAKE THE STORMY DANIELS PAYMENT. SHE SET THE -- SHE SAID IT WAS CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE AND THEN TO HEAR DONALD TRUMP'S LAWYERS THIS MORNING IN COURT SAY, IT WAS JUST SORT OF ANOTHER THING GOING ON. THERE WAS OTHER THINGS GOING ON. I ACTUALLY WROTE DOWN AND I JUST -- I SAID THE IDEA THAT THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPE WAS NOT A BIG DEAL IS COMICAL. I WROTE A NOTE TO MYSELF. BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A HUGE DEAL AND THEY JUST TRIED TO DISMISS IT. >> JOSH TINE GLASS HAD A GREAT LINE ABOUT SAYING -- HOPE HICKS BARELY CAME UP IN THE DEFENSE SUMMATION. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU LISTEN FOR AS A PROSECUTOR IS NOT JUST WHAT IS SAID, BUT WHAT IS LEFT OUT. AND IT WAS REMARKABLE. AND SO TO SUE'S POINT ABOUT EXHIBITS 35 AND 36 BARELY ADDRESSED. IN THE MOST SUPERFICIAL WAY. SO THAT IS A HUGE HOLE. HOPE HICKS, EVERY DAMAGING STATEMENT NOT ADDRESSED. IT WAS JUST LIKE, YOU HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING. NOPE. NOTHING. HOPE HICKS ON THIS CATEGORY 4, JOSH STEINGLASS SAID LET'S GET BACK TO YOU THINK IT WAS NO BIG DEAL. HOPE HICKS WHEN HE SAID DIRECTLY TO THE JURY, NO MOTIVE TO LIE, BUT ANYTHING TO CURRY FAVOR WITH THE DEFENDANT SAID WELL, IT ECLIPSED THE NEWS OF A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE SO THAT MAKES IT A CATEGORY 5. AT THE VERY LEAST. >> JUST TO REMIND PEOPLE. SHE'S RUNNING PUBLIC RELATIONS. SHE'S IN CHARGE OF THE IMAGE AND IT WAS A DISASTER. THERE IS NO -- >> IT ALWAYS BOGGLED MY MIND THAT THE DEFENSE DECIDED TO BASICALLY HAND HER TISSUES AND THEN DESTROY STORMY DANIELS WHO DIDN'T HAVE EYES ON ANY OF THE CRIMINAL ACTS OF THE FRAUDULENT BUSINESS RECORDS. WHAT WAS BEHIND THAT? TRUMP. >> OF COURSE. THEN THAT CAME UP IN THE COURSE OF THE SORT OF BEGINNING PART OF STEINGLASS'S SUMMATION, SAYING THIS IS -- YOU SAW SOMETHING VERY BIZARRE WHERE THEY BASICALLY TRIED TO DESTROY HER -- STORMY DANIELS, BUT NOTHING WAS SAID ABOUT -- AND THIS IS JOSH STEINGLASS SAYING, BUT DAVID PECKER SAID ALL OF THESE CREDIBLY DAMAGING THINGS AND NOTHING. HOPE HICKS SAID ALL OF THESE DANG DAMAGING THINGS AND IT IS NOTHING. AND THEY DECIDE THEY HAVE TO GO AFTER STORMY DANIELS AND -- >> AND MICHAEL COHEN. >> AND THE OTHER SIDE THAT HE MENGED WAS POWERFUL WAS THAT THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO DONALD TRUMP HAD THE MOST DAMAGING INFORMATION AND I THINK THAT WAS A REALLY GREAT NOTE THAT HE STRUCK. BECAUSE HOPE HICKS WAS DAMAGING. HER TESTIMONY WAS. AND SO WAS DAVID PECKER'S. AND TWO PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL -- >> AND WHO THEY HAVEN'T ATTACKED. >> HE'S STILL MY FRIEND. >> MY MENTOR.
