Live updates: Trump held in contempt of court for violating gag order in hush money case

Cohen pleaded with Davidson, he says.

“God dammit, what do you expect me to do? My guy is in five different states today… There’s nothing I can do,” Cohen told him, he says.

“I think you can tell by these emails that I was sending him there was a great level of frustration by me and my clients – my client – and I let him know that the level of dissatisfaction was quite high,” Davidsons says.

“And he stated, God dammit, I’ll just do it myself.”

Davidson began to worry that Cohen was making a “barrage” of excuses to avoid paying him, for his “failure to fund” after meeting a funding deadline.

He emailed Cohen on 17 October to Cohen’s email address at the Trump Organization

“We have a written settlement agreement which calls for settlement payments to be sent by the end of business this past Friday October 14, 2016. No payment was received,” the email reads. “My client informs me that she intends to cancel the settlement contract if no funds are received by 5PM PST today.”

“He stated that the computer systems were ‘all fucked up’. He stated that he ‘can’t believe what we’re going though, the Secret Service is here, they have so many goodman firewalls, I can’t get shit,” Davidson says.

Davidson’s 12 October email to Cohen:

Subject line: “Re: Daniels”

Cohen’s reply: Yes. It’s yom kippur so the office is for all purposes closed. I am in tomorrow but can speak for the next 3 hours via cell if necessary.

Davidson: Not necessary to speak today. You should have all the executed documents a few days ago. Talk to you tomorrow.

The final part of the deal was padding it out so Davidson could get paid.

“Gina approached me … ‘it’s going to be the easiest deal you’ve ever had your entire life’,” Davidson says, laughing, seemingly acknowledging that this entire thing is why he’s testifying sitting in court across from Trump.

We see the 11 October 2016 email from Davidson to Cohen: “Please find Ms Daniels’ Settlement Agreement & Side Letter Agreement attached.”

It also included bank wiring instructions.

The agreement included pseudonyms to ensure confidentiality.

Stormy became Peggy Peterson and Trump became David Dennison

Is David Dennison a real person?

“He was on my high school hockey team,” Davidson says.

How does he feel about that?

The purpose of using pseudonyms was like using military “codewords,” Davidson says. “It just ensures further confidentially just in case the full contract is lost, misplaced or stolen … You wouldn’t lose the confidentiality.”

October 10 texts to Cohen and Howard:

Howard: Keith/Michael: connecting you both in regards to that business opportunity. Spoke to the client this AM and they’re confirmed to proceed with the opportunity. Thanks. Dylan.

“Dylan and AMI backed out of that deal, it sort of fell apart, and Dylan asked Gina to call Michael Cohen and finish the deal with him, and Gina refused. She asked me to call Cohen, and then Dylan called me, and convinced me to call Cohen.”

“Dylan was washing his hands of the deal,” Davidson says.

Remember Pecker testified that he wanted nothing to do with the Stormy stuff.

“This story involved his client and that was his interest in the story,” Davidson says of Cohen. “In essence, Michael Cohen stepped into AMI’s shoes.”

Davidson sent Howard a link to The Dirty story, saying: “Hi, the story is already out there.”

Howard: Yeah but her talking and taking [redacted] is the final nail in the coffin… but he’s fucked already

What did he mean by that?

“That The Dirty post was bad but it could get a lot worse”

“If she made a comment.”

After the tape, Rodriguez went “directly to Dylan and negotiated a deal,” according to Davidson.

“I had nothing to do with that.”

How much influence did the release of that tape have on the Stormy Daniels story?

“So far as I’m aware, it had tremendous influence,” Davidson says. “Before the Access Hollywood tape there was little if any interest … It wasn’t until the Access Hollywood tape that interest sort of reached a crescendo.”

Davidson: Trump is fucked

What made you say that? “The Access Hollywood tape.”

Howard: Wave the white flag. It’s over people!

Steinglass asks Davidson about the exclusivity clauses in McDougal’s contract that hand life rights to AMI, to prevent the release of stories that he believed “would tend to hurt Donald Trump.”

On 8 August 2016, Davidson messaged Howard to let him know that he was telling ABC that McDougal was keeping her story quiet.

Davidson: Btw – they promised her a role on dancing with the stars. Season 578568655

“It was discussed a lot. There was an inference … but it was never guaranteed, never part of the deal,” according to Davidson.

Howard: Payment will be made this week FYI – sooner rather than later. Is it going to you?