This content discusses the “catch and kill” practice employed by American Media Inc. (AMI) and the involvement of President Donald Trump and his former attorney, Michael Cohen, in hush money payments made to silence women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump. The first instance of “catch and kill” involved a Trump Tower door attendant who tried to sell a story about Trump fathering a child out of wedlock, which later proved to be false. AMI paid the door attendant $30,000 for the story but never published it. The second case involved Karen McDougal, who alleged an affair with Trump. AMI paid her $150,000 to keep her story from going public.
In a recorded conversation, Cohen allegedly discussed setting up a company to facilitate the payment to McDougal. Trump asked about the amount and suggested paying in cash, but Cohen disagreed and Trump then suggested paying by check. After the release of the Access Hollywood tape in which Trump made vulgar comments about women, AMI’s editor-in-chief connected Cohen with Stormy Daniels’ lawyer to secure her silence. Cohen agreed to make the $130,000 payment on Trump’s behalf. The payment was delayed until October 2016, when Cohen opened a bank account for a shell company named Essential Consultants LLC and transferred the money from his personal line of credit before wiring it to Daniels’ attorney.
Following Trump’s election victory, Cohen was reimbursed through monthly payments disguised as payments for legal services. Trump met with AMI’s CEO privately to thank him for killing the stories about the door attendant and McDougal. The Trump Organization’s CFO agreed to make monthly payments to Cohen as part of a fake “retainer agreement.” Cohen sent invoices, falsely stating they were for a retainer, and the Trump Organization approved and paid them. Trump also made personal payments to Cohen, with the checks including false statements.
In total, 34 false entries were made in New York business records to conceal the initial $130,000 payment. The participants in the scheme also mischaracterized the reimbursements for tax purposes. In August 2018, the FBI searched Cohen’s home and offices, and Trump told him during a phone call to “stay strong.” Cohen pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including tax evasion and making false statements. AMI entered a non-prosecution agreement in exchange for cooperating with the investigation.
Overall, this content highlights the involvement of AMI, Trump, and Cohen in the “catch and kill” practice, where AMI paid individuals for their stories but never published them to protect Trump. It also details the hush money payments made to silence women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump. The investigation into these payments led to Cohen’s guilty plea and AMI’s cooperation agreement.
