So here is the latest note from inside the court
there there was a Wall Street Journal report
that talked about Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels was included
in that article
and coincide suspected that Stormy Daniels team had leaked the
story after they did this whole deal.
And so that was the accusation that was leveled and
they denied it etcetera.
So in Jan now. Now we're in January of
2018, folks. Here's the note.
Cohen wanted another denial from Stormy Daniels because quote,
there was still persistent reporters.
Looking into this, Cohen confirms that he pressured Davidson,
the guy who was doing the middle,
he was the middle man for Stormy Daniels
to have Stormy sign the statement.
And he knew the statement was false,
quote, because I helped him craft it.
End Quote. Cohen says he knows Stormy was paid hush
money,
quote, because I'm the one who paid it.
End Quote. All right. Is that illegal?
I asked Joe Concha and Richard Fowler who joined the
conversation now.
And gentlemen, welcome to the program.
Joe, let's start with you.
What's your take on this thus far today?
Well, there seems to be two things happening on a
macro level at once here,
Bill and Dana. And and they appear to be connected.
You know as as we talked about in the network
yesterday,
these polls coming out in swing states keep getting worse
for President Biden as wall to wall coverage of this
trial continues.
I mean Biden is now down by decided margins,
even double digits in in states like North Carolina,
Georgia, Nevada, Arizona. You see a pull out yesterday guys
showing Biden Trump in a dead heat in Virginia.
I mean that state hasn't gone red in 20 years.
And then you see Trump down by only a few
points in New Jersey.
He's attracting this record crowd that blew away even the
highest of expectations in Wildwood,
NJ, over the weekend. And then you think about conditions
on the ground.
Is inflation getting worse or is it getting better?
It's getting worse. Are wages keeping up with inflation?
No. Is the economy slowing in terms of GDP?
Yes. Is the border and illegal immigration still a #1
or #2 issue in the minds of voters?
Yes. Is the situation in Gaza improving or deteriorating?
It's the latter. Is the situation Ukraine improving in the
war against Russia?
The answer is no. So unless all these things change
before Election Day,
and unless Joe Biden shows that he himself is getting
better with age and not worse.
If it all comes down to Michael Cohen the serial
perjurer to save
Democrats from Donald Trump. And and because law fair,
let's face it, Fonny Willis,
that case is probably dead and Jack Smith that case
is probably postponed until after Election Day.
If it comes down to Michael Cohen having to take
down Donald Trump,
given Michael Cohen's history and his testimony to this point,
Donald Trump, if the election were held today,
is your 47th president, Richard Fowler.
I've been getting a sense and you correct me if
I'm wrong,
but there are many Democrats who are thinking,
let's just get this over with because we need to
get back to campaigning.
The New York Times poll from the weekend,
not good for Biden in many ways,
including some pretty stunning stats with black voters
who are preferring Trump over Biden in that poll.
And if that margin holds,
you know, the the president doesn't have to win all
of those voters.
He just has to win some of them.
And because Biden is not out campaigning very much and
Trump's been in court
and yet the poll numbers don't improve for Biden
do Democrats just want to get this behind them?
I I think it's an interesting question.
I I where I just where I sort of take
disagree with Joe here is I don't think the electoral
consequence actually that stark first thing and the first reason
I think that is true is because we just have
a lot of time on our hands between now and
Election Day.
A lot can happen including we can see inflation go
down we could potentially see a ceasefire in the Israel
Gaza conflict right.
We could see Ukraine turn on all these things could
turn in the positive direction.
I'm not saying they all will,
but I think what's happening also in this moment and
as we think about the media here as we continue
to cover this trial,
what's missing is all the other stories.
To your point, Dana, that's happening across the political landscape.
One particularly today, we find out that the Biden administration
has is increasing tariffs on China to 18 billion to
the tune of $18 billion.
That's not a conversation that we're having on air because
we're talking about this trial.
So we're not able to contrast the Trump trade policy
versus the Biden trade policy,
which we normally be doing on a day like today,
on any other Tuesday, six months out from the election.
And we're talking about this case where I would argue
a majority of the audience has made-up their mind because
we do live in a polarized environment where if you're
likely voting for Trump, you think this is a sham
case and you're not following it.
If you're voting for the president,
you think Trump is potentially,
but you might think the president's guilty.
And at the end of the day,
as you will talk in the last segment,
this will all come down to the 12 individuals in
that room who'll make this determination.
It's interesting here, Richard, just a comment here
about you're talking about these tariffs on China.
Trump went right after that issue as he walked into
court and he's going to probably get some play knowing
that cameras aren't inside.
So I'd I'd say smart move at the moment
from him. Gentlemen, we're out of time,
but we appreciate both of you coming on today and
we'll we'll talk again resume.
Richard Fowler, good to see you.
Thank you.