Prosecutors in New York have informed attorneys for Donald Trump that the evidence in their hush money case against the former president includes an audio recording of him and a witness, a court filing made public Friday shows.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office informed Donald Trump’s attorneys that as part of their evidence, they have an audio recording of Trump and a witness. This was disclosed in a filing this week that is known as an automatic discovery form. The evidence had already been disclosed to Trump’s attorneys. In the filing, it is not disclosed who the witness is or when the recording was created.
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who is a key witness in the hush money payment case, previously released a recording of himself and Trump discussing the hush money payments in 2016. However, it is not yet clear whether the recording referred to in the filing is the same one.
The day of the filing, Tuesday, was also the day that Trump made a virtual appearance in Manhattan criminal court where the judge informed him about the protective order blocking him from discussing the evidence that is part of discovery publicly. The evidence was to be sent from the DA’s office to Trump’s attorneys.
Last month Trump became the first U.S. president to face criminal charges after he was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. The charges are in connection to the hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal near the end of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign in exchange for their silence regarding their affairs with him. Trump has denied the affairs and has pleaded not guilty.
