>>> HI, EVERYONE. IT IS A BIG DAY. 4:00 IN NEW YORK. QUOTE, I HAVE A BLOCKBUSTER TRUMP STORY. SIX WORDS THAT WOULD PUT IN MOTION JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED NEXT. A SCRAMBLE FROM TRUMP ALLIES TO SUPPRESS A STORY THAT COULD HAVE LANDED LIKE A BOMBSHELL IN THE 2016 CAMPAIGN. THOSE WORDS WERE IN A TEXT MESSAGE SENT FROM KEITH DAVIDSON, HE'S THE ATTORNEY FOR BOTH OF THE WOMEN AT THE HEART OF THE STORY. PLAYBOY PLAYMATE KAREN McDOUGAL AND PORN STAR STORMY DANIELS. IT WAS A TEXT SENT TO THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER, DYLAN HOWARD. AND DAVIDSON IS ON THE STAND RIGHT NOW ON DAY NINE OF THE DONALD TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE HUSH MONEY TRIAL. WITH EXPLOSIVE TESTIMONY BEING GIVEN RIGHT NOW ABOUT HIS DEALINGS WITH AMI AND DONALD TRUMP'S INNER MOST CIRCLE. EARLIER TODAY, HE TOLD THE COURT AND THE JURY THAT DYLAN HOWARD TEXTED HIM BACK A RESPONSE, QUOTE, TALK FIRST THING. I WILL GET YOU POR THAN ANYONE FOR IT. YOU KNOW WHY. DAVIDSON SAID THAT HE UNDERSTOOD EVEN BACK THEN THAT THE OWNER OF THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER, THAT DAVID PECKER AND DONALD TRUMP WERE GOOD FRIENDS. TWO WEEKS AFTER THE TEXTS WERE EXCHANGED, KAREN McDOUGAL MET WITH HOWARD, WHERE SHE ALLEGED THAT SHE HAD AN AFFAIR WITH DONALD TRUMP THAT WENT ON FOR SEVERAL WEEKS TO MONTHS. AND AMI DECLINED TO PICK UP McDOUG AL'S STORY AND RETURNING TO THE BARGAINING TABLE OME WHEN ABC NEWS WANTED IT. THEY EXPRESSED INTEREST IN TALKING TO McDOUGAL. BUT WHAT ABC WANTED WAS FOR HER TO TELL HER STORY. SOMETHING SHE DIDN'T WANT TO DO. NOW IN LATE JULY, DYLAN HOWARD TEXTED DAVIDSON, GET ME A PRICE ON McDOUGAL. ALL IN, CONSULTING GIG. PERHAPS A FITNESS EXPERT THROWN INTO THE MIX. WITH KAREN DECIDING BETWEEN GOING PUBLIC OR SIGNING A DEAL TO BURY HER STORY WITH "THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER," SHE WROTE HER LAWYER KEITH DAVIDSON THIS, QUOTE, WE'RE GOING TO LAY IT ON THICK FOR HER. TO WHICH HER LAWYER KEITH DAVIDSON SAID, GOOD, THROW IN IN AMBASSADORSHIP OF ME. I'M THINKING ISLE OF MAN. A JOKE THAT HER DEAL WITH AMI WOULD HELP DONALD TRUMP WHO WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. NOW WHEN DEAL WAS FINALLY DONE, KEITH DAVIDSON SAID HE CALLED MICHAEL COHEN, HE SAID, OUT OF QUOTE, PROFESSIONAL COURTESY TO TELL HIM THAT A DEAL INVOLVING MICHAEL COHEN'S CLIENT, DONALD TRUMP, HAD CLOSED. SO THEN IT CAME TIME FOR KEITH DAVIDSON SO DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED WITH HIS OTHER CLIENT, HIS OTHER CLIENT STORMY DANIELS. DAVIDSON TOLD THE JURY TODAY THAT THE RELEASE OF THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPE BREATHED NEW LIFE INTO STORMY DANIELS'S ALLEGATION THAT SHE HAD AN AFFAIR. HE TESTIFIED THAT THAT TAPE, QUOTE, HAD TREMENDOUS INFLUENCE ON THE APPEAL OF STORMY'S STORY AND THAT IT THEN FELL TO HIM TO NEGOTIATE THE DEAL TO SILENCE STORMY DANIELS WITH MICHAEL COHEN ONCE AMI BACKED OUT: THE ATTORNEY REPRESENTING BOTH PULLING THE CURTAIN BACK ON HOW THE ENTIRE SCHEME TO SUPPRESS STORIES THAT WOULD HAVE DAMAGED DONALD TRUMP IS WHERE WE BEGIN TODAY WITH SOME OF OUR FAVORITE REPORTERS AND FRIENDS. WITH US AT THE TABLE, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL HAIRY LITMAN IS HERE. HE WAS BACK IN THE COURTHOUSE TODAY. ALSO BACK AT THE TABLE, CORRESPONDENT FOR THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, LATCH LAN CARTWRIGHT HERE. AND ALSO FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND LEGAL ANALYST ANDREW WISEMAN AND AT THE COURTHOUSE FOR US, ONCE AGAIN, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT VAUGHN HILLYARD. VAUGHN, I START WITH YOU. THIS IS ANOTHER DAY WHERE EVERY TIME I READ MY NOTES, I HAD TO STOP, I WAS THAT PERSON ON THE SIDEWALK STARING AT MY PHONE. SOME REALLY GONE SMACKING INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE HUSH MONEY SCHEME. TALK ABOUT THE TESTIMONY TODAY. >> RIGHT. IN THE TEXT MESSAGES THAT WERE TRANSFERRED BETWEEN KEITH DAVIDSON WHO WAS THE ATTORNEY REPRESENTING STORMY DANIELS, AND MICHAEL COHEN, AND DYLAN HOWARD, THE EDITOR IN CHIEF OF THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER BRINGING US IN REAL TIME, HOUR-BY-HOUR AS THE DELIBERATIONS WERE UNFOLDING PARTICULARLY AROUND THE REVEAL OF THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPE AND THE SUGGESTION THAT THE CAME WAS ALL ABOUT OVER AT THAT POINT. BUT I THINK AN IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY HERE WAS THE CONVERSATION THAT YOU AND I, WE WERE ALL HAVING COMING INTO THIS TRIAL. WHAT CORROBORATING TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE WOULD THERE BE TO MICHAEL COHEN? WE NOW HAVE DAVID PECKER AND KEITH DAVIDSON WHO ARE CORROBORATING AND PROVIDING BACKING TO CLAIMS THAT MICHAEL COHEN HAS MADE PUBLICLY HEADING INTO THIS TRIAL HERE. AND JUST KEITH DAVIDSON, JUST THIS AFTERNOON ALONE, MAKES A DIRECT REFERENCE TO DONALD TRUMP AS PART OF THE KAREN McDOUGAL ARRANGEMENT, IN PARAGRAPH THREE, THE PROSECUTION ASKED THE QUESTION, THAT, QUOTE, DID KAREN GRANT HER LIFE RIGHTS TO THE SUBJECT MANAGER REGARDING AN AFFAIR THAT SHE HAD WITH A MARRIED MAN. WAS THERE A PARTICULAR MARRIED MAN THAT YOU ASSUME THIS APPLIED TO AND HE RESPONDED YES. AND WHEN ASKED WHO, HE SAID DONALD TRUMP AS IT PERTAINED TO STORMY DANIELS. ON OCTOBER 11th, 2016, STORMY DANIELS HAD ENTERED INTO A CONTRACT WITH MICHAEL COHEN AND AS PART OF THAT, THERE WERE PSEUDONYMS THAT WERE GIVEN, NOT ONLY TO STORMY DANIELS, BUT DAVID DENNISSON, THAT INDIVIDUAL IS IDENTIFIED BY KEITH DAVIDSON TODAY AS BEING DONALD TRUMP. SO NOW THE JURY IS HEARD FROM THIS INDIVIDUAL WHO SAID THAT DONALD TRUMP WAS A PARTY TO THIS CONTRACT. WHETHER HE WAS EXPLICITLY A PART OF IT, THAT IS STILL TO BE SEEN FROM KEITH DAVIDSON, BUT WE KNOW THAT HE'S SO FAR PROVIDING DETAILED TESTIMONY WITH HIS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT DYLAN HOWARD, THE EDITOR IN CHIEF AND MICHAEL COHEN. AND WE SHOULD EXPECT TESTIMONY EVEN HERE WITHIN THE NEXT HALF HOUR ABOUT OCTOBER 27th. THOSE LITERAL DAYS WITH MICHAEL COHEN AND DONALD TRUMP WERE ON THE PHONE AS THE WIRE TRANSFER WAS BEEN INITIATED. THESE ARE DETAILS THAT KEITH DAVIDSON COULD AGAIN TO PUBLICLY SHARE HERE IN FRONT OF THE JURY. >> AND VAUGHN, YOU WERE TRAVELING WITH MIKE PENCE, I WAS HERE IN THE STUDIO MOST DAYS COVERING THESE FINAL FRANTIC DAYS OF CAMPAIGN ALONGSIDE OUR FORMER COLLEAGUE BRIAN WILLIAMS. I REMEMBER EACH OF THESE NEWS CYCLES AND I THINK WE NEED TIME TO PROBABLY BUILD OUT THIS TIMELINE. I WANT TO TURN TO OUR LAWYERS ON WHAT YOU JUST ARTICULATED BUT I WANT YOU TO ASK ONE MORE QUESTION ABOUT THE WORK THAT THE PROSECUTION DID LAYING OUT MOTIVE. AND IT IS THIS THING THAT WASN'T UNSPOKEN. IT WAS SPOKEN. IT WAS ABOUT AMBASSADORSHIPS. NOW, WHO GIVES AMBASSADORSHIPS AND ONLY ONE PERSON GIVES THAT AND THAT IS THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT. LET ME READ YOU THIS. THIS IS FROM A TEXT MESSAGE FROM DYLAN. WE'RE GOING TO LAY IT ON THICK FOR HER. AT THIS POINT KAREN WAS TEETERING BETWEEN TWO COMPETING DEALS AN WE REQUESTED A MEETING WITH EACH ENTITY TO MAKE A PITCH AS TO WHY THEY WERE THE CORRECT AVENUE FOR KAREN. HOW DID IT RESPOND. GOOD. THROW IN AN AMBASSADORSHIP FOR ME, I'M THINKING ISLE OF MANN AND I WAS MAKING A JOKE, I DON'T THINK IT IS EVEN A COUNTRY OR THAT THEY HAVE AN AMBASSADOR. IT WAS A REFERENCE TO TRUMP'S CANDIDACY. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT. QUESTION? ANSWER FROM KEITH DAVIDSON, QUOTE, THIS WOULD HELP HIS CANDIDACY. QUESTION FROM THE PROSECUTOR, IS IT SAFE TO ASSUME THAT FROM YOUR JOKE IT WAS YOUR BELIEF IF YOU WERE THERE CLOSE TO A DEAL IT WOULD SOMEHOW BENEFIT THE CANDIDATE DONALD TRUMP? KEITH DAVIDSON, YES. >> WE'RE GOING TO LAY IT ON THICK. THAT IS ONE OF THE TEXT MESSAGES. WE'RE DOING TO LAY IT ON THICK FOR HER TO EXECUTE THIS DEAL. YOU'VE BEEN A PART OF CAMPAIGNS, I'VE COVERED A NUMBER OF THEM, AND IF ANYBODY COVERING THESE CAMPAIGNS OR THE PUBLIC AT LARGE SHOULD BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE DETAILS, RIGHT, THE LEGALITY ASIDE, JUST POLITICALLY HERE, OF THE LENGTHS TO WHICH SOMEBODY IS GOING THROUGH IN ORDER TO TAMP DOWN OR COVER UP A STORY, IT IS LAID OUT IN THE FORM OF THOSE TEXT MESSAGES. THAT WE WERE NOT ALL PRIVY TO IN 2016. THESE DON'T COME INTO LIGHT UNTIL WELL INTO DONALD TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY. SO WHEN YOU ASK ABOUT THE STAKES HERE AND JOKING ABOUT AN AMBASSADORSHIP, REAL OR NOT, I THINK FOR US, I WAS TALKING WITH PRODUCER DAN WHO I WAS ON THE ROAD WITH BACK IN 2016 AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH ALL OF THIS AND IF WE HAVE KNOWN IN REAL TIME THE LENGTHS TO WHICH DONALD TRUMP AND PERHAPS EVEN MIKE PENCE KNEW THE LENGTHS TO WHICH DONALD TRUMP WAS GOING TO SUPPRESS THE SALACIOUS STORIES ABOUT HIM, I THINK THAT PERHAPS THE COUNTRY WOULD BE AT A DIFFERENT POINT IN ITS RECKONING WITH WHERE IT FINDS ITSELF IN MORAL CAMPUS WHEN IT COMES TODAY THAN IN IN THE YEAR 2024. >> AND THAT IS THE $64 MILLION QUESTION THAT WE'LL HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH AND IN THE OPENING THE PROSECUTORS LAY THAT OUT. WE'LL NEVER KNOW. WE'LL NEVER KNOW THE POLITICAL IMPACT OF THE SUPPRESSION OF THESE STORIES, THE SILENCING OF THESE WOMEN. BUT WE DO KNOW FROM THE TESTIMONY TODAY THAT TRUMP'S MOTIVE WAS TO KEEP THEM AWAY FROM THE VOTERS. I WANT TO READ A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM THE EXCHANGES BETWEEN DYLAN HOWARD, WE TALKED ABOUT LAST WEEK, WHO IS UNAVAILABLE TO COME TO NEW YORK AND BE PART OF THE TRIAL BECAUSE OF SOME HEALTH ISSUES. >> SPINAL INJURIES WAS TOLD TO THE JURY. >> AND KEITH DAVIDSON. SO, THEY PUT UP FOR THE JURY A JULY 28th, 2016 TEXT MESSAGE BETWEEN DYLAN HOWARD AND KEITH DAVIDSON THAT SAID I NEED THIS TO HAPPEN. HE SAID, I INTERPRETED IT HE WANTED IT TO HAPPEN. IS IT A DEAL BETWEEN AMI AND THE PROSECUTORS, AND KEITH DAVIDSON, YES. THE NEED FOR KAREN McDOUGAL TO GO FOR AMI ISN'T JUST COMPETITIVE. IT IS ABOUT WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO HER STORY. >> AND YOU COULD SENSE THE URGENCY IN THE MESSAGING GOING BACK AND FORTH. DYLAN HOWARD LOVED TEXTING AND I COULD ALMOST HEAR HIS VOICE AS THESE TEXTS ARE READ IN COURT. BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE IS THIS SITUATION GOING ON WITH ABC THAT -- AND KEENL DAVIDSON IS ALMOST PLAYING OFF OF ABC AGAINST AMI, BUT THERE IS THIS URGENCY TO MAKE SURE THAT KAREN McDOUG AL'S STORY
