Prosecutors in New York had told former President Donald Trump’s attorneys that as part of the evidence in the hush money case, they also have an audio recording of a conversation between Trump and a witness in the case.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office in a court filing made public on Friday, disclosed the recording. Trump’s attorneys had been informed about this piece of evidence before the automatic discovery form was filed in court.
The filing does not specify who the witness is or when the recording was taken. It is also not specified when Trump’s lawyers were informed about its existence.
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who is a key witness in the hush money case had previously released an audio recording that was secretly taped which included a discussion he had with Trump about the hush money payments. It is unclear whether this recording is the one that the disclosures are referring to.
On Tuesday, the same day of the filing, Trump appeared virtually in Manhattan criminal court where he was formally notified about a protective order that would stop him from publicly talking about any of the evidence that his lawyers were going to receive from the DA’s office during the discovery.
Last month, Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records relating to the hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal in exchange for their silence about their alleged affairs with him ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied the affairs and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
