Melania Trump Is Allegedly Behind Donald's 'Locker Room Talk' Excuse, Michael Cohen Claims
Donald Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, shared new details about his controversial "locker room talk."
In 2016, Trump's extremely lewd conversation about women with Billy Bush back in 2005 leaked. In the leaked Access Hollywood footage, the businessman-turned-politician talked about groping women and later explained that it was just "locker room talk." When Cohen took the witness stand on Monday, he recounted how they dealt with the catastrophe amid Trump's presidential campaign at the time, and the lawyer claimed that it was Trump's supportive wife, Melania, who came up with the excuse.
"He wanted me to reach out to all my contacts in media. We needed to put a spin on this... that this is locker room talk, something that Melania had recommended -- that's what Melania had thought it was -- and use that in order to get control over the story and to minimize its impact on him and his campaign," Cohen said in his testimony, per The Daily Beast.
The mention of the former first lady stood out, especially since she has not made an appearance in court to support her husband. Melania's name came up again when the trial resumed after lunch.
The prosecutors questioned Cohen when the hush money deal with porn star Stormy Daniels was falling apart during the final weeks before the 2016 election. According to Cohen, he was trying to reach Trump to give him an update about the alleged deal but couldn't get to him. It was reportedly the ex-FLOTUS who made sure that they could talk about the matter.
"Good morning Michael, can [you] pls call DT on his cell. Thanks," Melania reportedly texted him at 8:35 a.m. on Oct. 18, 2016.
In the leaked conversation, Trump bragged about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women. The talk was caught in a hot mic.
"I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait and when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything," Trump says in the recording.
Based on the video, Trump and Bush were on a bus. They were arriving on the set of "Days of Our Lives" to tape a segment for Trump's cameo in the soap opera, per The Washington Post.
Trump later released a statement and apologized to those who found it offensive.
"This was locker-room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course - not even close," he said, per The Washington Post. "I apologize if anyone was offended."
