A lawyer for former President Donald Trump has tried to portray the hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels as extortion.

Defense attorney Emil Bove implied in a New York courtroom on Thursday that extortion seemed to be the motive behind hush money payment accusations against Trump. 

Lawyer of Donald Trump Portrays the Hush Money Payment as Extortion

According to Reuters, Emil Bove on Thursday scrutinized Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels in talks with Donald Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, near the end of the 2016 presidential campaign.  

Bove questioned Davidson about his cash-for-dirt arrangements with other celebrities, which hinted at a strategy by Trump's lawyers to weaken the credibility of prosecution witnesses in the criminal trial.

Trump, who pleaded not guilty in April, is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of the $130,000 hush money payment made by Cohen.

Cohen allegedly arranged the payment days leading up to the 2016 election to silence Daniels about a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump in 2006, which the former president denied.

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Testimony of Stormy Daniels' Former Lawyer

During his testimony, Keith Davidson acknowledged arranging the $130,000 payment with Michael Cohen on behalf of Stormy Daniels. Emil Bove then questioned Davidson's involvement in other controversial negotiations, such as his alleged attempt to secure cash from former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan to cover up a sex tape. 

The lawyer also asked Davidson about his alleged efforts to get money from celebrities like Charlie Sheen and Tila Tequila in exchange for embarrassing information.

"By 2016, you were pretty well versed in getting right up to the line without committing extortion, right?" Bove asked Davidson, as Trump's lawyer tried to portray Davidson as an attorney with a history of accusing famous personalities of wrongdoing before getting settlement money from them to cover up scandals. 

However, Davidson denied committing extortion and confirmed that Daniels signed a non-disclosure agreement with the former president to keep quiet about the sexual encounter.

But he would not describe the payment as hush money as "it was a consideration in a civil settlement agreement." Trump's legal team is expected to employ a similar strategy when cross-examining other key witnesses, such as Daniels and Cohen.

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