Karen McDougal

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Melania on 2020 Election: 'It Was a Mess'

Former first lady dishes on that, her first encounter with husband, son Barron, and more in new book

(Newser) - Melania Trump's new memoir, Melania , dropped on Tuesday, and the reviews range from describing it as one of "graceful grievance" to calling it "truly bad" and "deeply weird." The former first lady's remarks about her stance on abortion rights earned attention before the 256-page...

Pecker Airs 'Catch and Kill' Stories About Other Celebrities

Meanwhile, prosecutors accuse Trump of more violations of gag order

(Newser) - A lot of celebrity dirt was aired during day seven of Donald Trump's hush-money trial, only some of that being Trump's own. Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified Thursday that Trump was nervous about the publication holding boxes of materials related to "catch and kill" stories...

Earliest Trump Allegation Involves Doorman

DA's office says Trump orchestrated payment over illegitimate child allegation

(Newser) - The indictment against Donald Trump unsealed Tuesday contains hush-money allegations connected to adult film star Stormy Daniels, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, and another, lesser-known party: A former Trump Tower doorman who claimed Trump had an illegitimate child with a housekeeper. The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says...

He Served His Time. Now, Testimony to a Grand Jury

Michael Cohen will appear Monday in Manhattan in hush money Trump case

(Newser) - Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is scheduled to testify Monday before a Manhattan grand jury investigating hush money payments made on the former president's behalf, two people familiar with the matter tell the AP . Cohen is a key witness in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg'...

Karen McDougal, Who Says She Had Affair With Trump, Sues Fox News

Tucker Carlson defamed her by referring to extortion, lawsuit says

(Newser) - Karen McDougal, the former Playboy model who says she had an affair with Donald Trump before he was president, filed a defamation suit Thursday against Fox News. McDougal received $150,000 that Michael Cohen, Trump's lawyer, has said came from him. In December 2018, Fox host Tucker Carlson said...

Michael Cohen Sounds Ticked on Eve of Prison Sentence

'How come I’m the one that’s going to prison?' he asks in 'New Yorker' profile

(Newser) - Michael Cohen reports to federal prison next week to begin his three-year sentence , and Jeffrey Toobin of the New Yorker caught up with him beforehand. One thing that's clear: The former fixer for Donald Trump is miffed that he ended up being the one in prosecutor's crosshairs. “...

New Report on Hush Payments Could Be Bad News for Trump

'WSJ' says he was directly involved at 'nearly every step' in arranging payments to women

(Newser) - The Wall Street Journal is out with an investigative report on President Trump asserting that he played a direct role in arranging hush-money payments to women alleging affairs with him, despite two years of denials. Trump "was involved in or briefed on nearly every step of the agreements,"...

Report: Enquirer Stashed Trump Stories in a Safe

They were moved before the inauguration, sources say

(Newser) - The National Enquirer kept a safe containing documents on hush money payments and other damaging stories it killed as part of its cozy relationship with Donald Trump leading up to the 2016 presidential election, people familiar with the arrangement tell the AP . The detail came amid reports that federal prosecutors...

Cohen Wasn't the Only One Handling Hush Money

Trump execs could be in hot water

(Newser) - President Trump is highly unlikely to be indicted under current Justice Department policy—but he's not the only one facing potential repercussions from Michael Cohen's guilty plea to charges violating campaign finance laws. Court documents show that when Cohen was reimbursed by the Trump Organization for hush money...

Cohen's Lawyer Rips Into Trump, Repeatedly

Lanny Davis makes the morning talk show rounds

(Newser) - The days of Michael Cohen being willing to "take a bullet for" the president are seemingly long gone. He testified on Tuesday that he made hush-money payments to two women "in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office." In the wake of his...

Cohen Guilty Pleas Involve Payoffs to Two Women

Charges against the president's former attorney include campaign finance violations

(Newser) - Ex-Trump attorney Cohen has entered guilty pleas to charges that include campaign finance violations involving payoffs to two women, per the AP . The hush money payments were part of a coordinated effort to influence the 2016 presidential election, the president's former "fixer" said in a federal court in...

Secret Trump-Cohen Recording Released

They discuss hush money payment to ex- Playboy model

(Newser) - A recording of the current president of the United States discussing a hush money payment involving a former Playboy model over an alleged affair was made public Tuesday night—and the biggest controversy is over the proposed method of payment. In the recording aired by CNN , Trump talks to attorney...

Trump Slams Cohen Over Secret Taping

'Totally unheard of' and 'perhaps illegal,' president says of recorded conversation

(Newser) - If President Trump and former attorney Michael Cohen weren't already on the outs, the revelation that Cohen secretly recorded at least one of their phone conversations has cinched it. The president took to Twitter Saturday morning to express his displeasure and to suggest that Cohen might have broken the...

Cohen Secretly Recorded a Dicey Talk With Trump

They discussed payment for ex-model alleging affair; Giuliani hears nothing damaging

(Newser) - The New York Times is out with a potentially big scoop regarding former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. It seems that when FBI agents raided his office in April, they found a recording that Cohen secretly made of a conversation between him and Trump two months before the election. The newspaper...

New Subpoena in Cohen Case Puts Focus on National Enquirer

Federal prosecutors looking into how America Media Inc. handled Playboy model's story

(Newser) - The National Enquirer paid a former Playboy model $150,000 during the 2016 campaign for the rights to her allegations that she'd had an affair with Donald Trump but then killed the story. Does that amount to an illegal campaign contribution? That's one of the questions federal prosecutors...

Ex-Playboy Model Scores 'Total Win' With Lawsuit Over Alleged Trump Fling

Karen McDougal settles with American Media Inc

(Newser) - A former Playboy model who says she slept with President Trump can now say it all she wants—in even greater detail. Karen McDougal settled her lawsuit Wednesday with the tabloid company American Media Inc. on terms that let her fully discuss the alleged affair , the New York Times reports....

Report: Raid on Trump Lawyer Was 'Striking in Its Breadth'

Investigators demanded records on Access Hollywood tape

(Newser) - The FBI raid on the offices of President Trump's personal lawyer was "striking in its breadth," sources say, with investigators demanding records including those relating to Trump's infamous Access Hollywood recording, in which he boasts about grabbing women. The New York Times , citing "three people...

Trump's 'Fix-It Guy' May Be in Real Trouble
Trump's 'Fix-It Guy'
May Be in Real Trouble
the rundown

Trump's 'Fix-It Guy' May Be in Real Trouble

A look at the potential legal trouble for Michael Cohen, as well as the president

(Newser) - A quick look at stories about Michael Cohen, the president's personal attorney, reveals a clear theme: The 51-year-old has long prided himself on being Donald Trump's No. 1 troubleshooter. "I am the fix-it guy," he once told the Wall Street Journal , which also collects a quote...

Ex-Playmate Describes Alleged Trump Affair in Detail

Karen McDougal says Trump tried to pay her after sex

(Newser) - Days after filing a lawsuit to break her silence , former Playboy model Karen McDougal described her alleged affair with President Trump in an emotional CNN interview. McDougal told Anderson Cooper that she first met Trump during filming at the Playboy Mansion in 2006, a few months after Melania Trump gave...

Ex-Playmate Sues So She Can Talk About Alleged Trump Affair

Karen McDougal sues National Enquirer's parent company

(Newser) - Another alleged former paramour of President Trump is suing in an attempt to break her silence on the affair. This time it's former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who says she was involved with Trump in 2006 and 2007 —around the same time adult film star Stormy Daniels, who...

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