12 tapes

12 tapes seized in Michael Cohen raid handed over to prosecutors

By LAURA NAHMIAS

Twelve audio recordings seized from President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen in an April FBI raid were handed over to federal prosecutors on Friday, according to a court filing made public Monday.

The tapes were handed over on the same day that Trump’s attorneys confirmed the existence of a September 2016 recording in which Trump and Cohen discussed a possible payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who has said she and Trump had a 10-month affair that ended in 2007.

The 12 audio recordings had initially been designated as “privileged,” meaning prosecutors wouldn’t get to look at them as part of their ongoing criminal investigation into Cohen, which includes his role in providing hush payments to women who claim they had affairs with Trump.

But on July 20, “the parties withdrew their designations of ‘privileged’ as to 12 audiotapes that were under consideration by the Special Master,” according to the filing in New York’s Southern District Court. The filing did not describe the contents of the recordings handed over to prosecutors or say whether the recording of Trump and Cohen was among the 12.

Media reported over the weekend that the Trump legal team waived the privilege on the recording of him and Cohen, despite the fact the president complained about the existence of the tape on Twitter. Trump told associates the tape, which was made two months before the 2016 presidential election, was recorded without his knowledge.

Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said last week that the payment to McDougal discussed on the tape was never issued and that Trump had no prior knowledge of it.

American Media Inc., which owns the National Enquirer, reportedly paid McDougal for the right to her story about Trump but never published it. She has claimed the deal was an effort by Cohen to keep her from speaking out.