Trump's lawyer launched a fierce attack on Keith Davidson's credibility

 

Trump's lawyer, Emil Bove, launched a fierce attack on Keith Davidson's credibility, dragging him through a series of celebrity deals that raised questions about his ethics and motives. After prosecutors finished questioning Davidson about his role in the hush money deals with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, Bove took aim at Davidson's history of negotiating lucrative agreements with high-profile figures.

Bove pressed Davidson on whether he had studied extortion law before seeking money from AMI and Cohen for the McDougal and Daniels deals, implying that Davidson may have been operating in a legal gray area. Davidson seemed evasive, responding "I don't understand your question" when asked if he had gone "right up to the line without committing extortion" with the Trump deals.

Next, Bove turned to Davidson's involvement in other celebrity deals, including his attempt to sell a sex tape featuring Hulk Hogan to the wrestler himself. Davidson conceded that a monetary demand had been made to Hogan, which raised eyebrows in the courtroom. Bove alleged that Davidson's pattern of seeking hefty payments from celebrities to keep damaging information out of the media bordered on extortion.

Davidson's responses to Bove's questions were often evasive, and he seemed to parse definitions to avoid answering directly. When asked if he had to be sensitive about not threatening to reveal damaging information before the election, Davidson replied, "I don't recall that." Similarly, when prosecutors questioned him about the truth of Stormy Daniels' denials of a romantic and sexual relationship with Trump, Davidson claimed the payment to Daniels was a settlement payment for "considerations," not hush money, and questioned the definition of the word "relationship."

The celebrity deals Bove highlighted may not be directly relevant to the case at hand, but they could potentially affect jurors' perceptions of Davidson's credibility. Davidson's evasive responses and tendency to parse definitions may have raised doubts about his trustworthiness as a witness.

The defense's strategy is clear: to discredit Davidson and undermine his testimony, which is crucial to the prosecution's case. By dragging Davidson through the celebrity mud, Bove hopes to create a narrative that Davidson is a master manipulator who uses his knowledge of celebrity secrets to extract money and influence. Whether this strategy will succeed remains to be seen, but one thing is certain – the battle to discredit witnesses and build a strong defense is a key part of Trump's legal team's strategy.