In 2018, an audio recording from 2016 was released by Michael Cohen, revealing a conversation between him and Donald Trump regarding the purchase of the rights to former Playboy model Karen McDougal's story about an alleged affair with Trump, which the former president denies.
The recording shed light on the confidential discussions between Trump and Cohen, confirming that Trump was aware of a proposal to acquire McDougal's story. Cohen discussed his plans to establish a company and finance the purchase of the rights from American Media, the publisher of the National Enquirer.
The audio recording captured what seemed to be a routine business conversation, with various matters on their agenda. However, the clarity of the recording was compromised, leading to a dispute over the interpretation of Trump's use of the word 'cash' during the conversation.
