Situation room. I will see you tomorrow. Got to transcript of todays but the Adult Film Stars such money deal. And the prediction that if for Affair Allegations went public, it could be the final nail direct quote, your final nail in the coffin for trump just weeks before the 2016 election, the explosive testimony wrapping up shortly after trump was forced to take take down inflammatory post complying with the judges ruling. That is violated. His gag order. Trump. Now, i noticed that he could be jailed. Yes. Jailed if hes found in contempt. Again for the next hour, well take you inside the courtroom from gavel to gavel are reporters an experts are standing by to break down on todays most important developments and look ahead to whats next welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer with a Special Report in the Situation Room, the trump trial today Donald Trumps historic criminal trial is set to resume on thursday with more compelling and potentially crucial testimony by the former lawyer for Stormy Daniels and Karen Mcdougal turn on the witness stand, capping a jampacked day inside the courtroom that included the judge Finding Trump in contempt for nine violations of his gag order. Lets get to all of news right now cnns Kara Scannell is outside the courthouse, was here. Are we just got a new partial transcript of todays testimony. Bring us up speed on everything that happened well well, Keith Davidson was on a stand for about three hours today and he took the jury inside the catch and kill deals involving Karen Mcdougal and Stormy Daniels. The jury also saw a flurry of Text Messages between davidson and the publisher or the editor in chief of the National Enquirer underscoring the urgency that they had in trying to execute these deals before the 2016 Election Davidson also testifying that he believed these deals were struck to help Donald Trumps campaign on the stand, the exlawyer for two women, a Playboy Model and Adult Film Star At The Center of former president Donald Trumps criminal Hush Money Trial. Attorney Keith Davidson testified on tuesday, revealing new details about the deal at the crux of the prosecutions case. A 130,000 payment to a Adult Film StarStormy Daniels to kill a story on an alleged affair with trump weeks before the 2016 Election Davidson represented daniels in the arrangement selling the story to trumps former attorney, Michael Cohen. Trump denies having an affair with daniels prosecutors have alleged that trump did not want to write the check, so cohen put up the money on his behalf after cohen confirmed trump would pay him back, davidson testified the release of the access Hollywood Tape and october 2016 spark tremendous interest in her story. The National Enquirer editor, dylan howard, Text Davidson that our story would be the end for trumps campaign. Davidson texts howard trump is eft wave the white flag. Its over people. Howard responded to davidsons texts howard said in a text . Yeah, but her talking and taking is the final nail in the coffin, but hes asked already after cohen miss the deadline to wire the money multiple times, davidson testified he believed cohen was stolen now on the deal, davidson said he told cohen, i dont believe a word really that you say cohen responded, god, it. What do you expect me to do . My guy is in five different states today and davidson told him of his clients and happiness, were calling cohen told tim, god it ill just do it myself. Davidson told the jury, i thought he was trying to kick them you down the road until after the election earlier in the day, the jury heard from Michael Cohens former banker, gary farro, who testified about cohens scrambled to open and fund in account in late october 2016, pharaoh revealed he did not know coincident was being made to an Adult Film Star or that it was related to political activity if he had he testified, it would have required a much longer review and potentially would not have opened the account. Davidson also represented former Playboy ModelKaren Mcdougal, who alleged in nearly yearlong romantic affair with trump, which trump also denies prosecutors asked davidson about the agreement to sell mcdougal story to the enquirer, which was ultimately sold to the tabloids Parent Company for 150,000 and buried before the election, davidson texts howard in june 2016, i have a blockbuster trump story. Howard text back, talk. First thing i will get you more than anyone. Before it, you know why days later howard responded again asking, did he cheat on Melania Davidson testified there was an unspoken understanding that the enquirer vod her story to bury it because of a close affiliation between the Tabloid Publisher and trump. And that ami would not run this story or any story related to karen and Donald Trump Trump because it would tend to hurt donald trump while davidson testified about mcdougal and daniels, trumps son, eric trump, sat in the front row of the gallery listening. He is the first Family Member of trumps to attend the trial in court began with judge juan merchan handing down a muchanticipated ruling saying donald trump violated the gag order that prevents him from discussing witnesses in the case. Nine times. Trump was fined 9,000 total 1,000 per violation now well trump was pretty doing your during the day he sat and most of the time with his it back in his chair, with his eyes closed as he listened to the testimony, he was joined, though, in addition to eric trump has sunday was also joined the Texas Attorney general, ken paxton as well says Campaign Adviser susie wiles. Now when they were back in court on thursday, Keith Davidson well take the stand, but first, the judge will hear arguments over whether donald trump violated the gag order in additional four times, wolfe, she would happen. Its thursday. Kara scannell. Thank you very much. Lets bring in our legal and political experts in elliot williams. Youre getting a first look at this just really partial transcript. What stands out to you a few things do wolfe, sara, a central part of what prosecutors have to establish his some nexus to the 2016 campaign that this conduct was taken to protect the former president. And so this is Joshua Steinglass interviewing Keith Davidson or question Keith Davidson attorney to Stormy Daniels and Karen Mcdougal. He asks is this another Text Exchange between you and Dylan Howard On October 8th and october 9th of 2016. This is right after the access Hollywood Tape. He said Keith Davidson says, yes, who sent the first text in this chain Keith Davidson. Its for me. And what did you say . Trump is eft you wrote the whole word out fs in the text. He says, i did. What prompted you to say that trump was after the access Hollywood Tape . How to deal and howard respond, Dylan Howard Over Ami the National Enquirer, he responded with waved the white flag. Its over people exclamation point. And how did you interpret that . I think he was second in my opinion he asks based on the access Hollywood Tape, answer yes. It was very well. Let me get caitlin, who has been covering this very thoroughly. What did you make of this exchange . Yeah. Not only is this highlighting the nexus between the campaign and all of the folks dealing with the hush money stories, the catch and kill plans. But this Access Hollywood moment and the reactions to it, it is the central moment in the 2016 campaign for trump, where it becomes clear he has an issue potentially with female voters, and then its the catalyst for the series of things that come after that are all central to to this trial. Its sets up not just this need or want for Stormy Daniels to tell her story publicly, then getting the National Enquirer interested or involved in these conversations but also, it is the moment that then Keith Davidson, the attorney to Stormy Daniels gets connected to Michael Cohen and everything flows from there for the rest of this case. And the rest of this trial . Yeah. Is caitlin pointed out, i mean, this is a sort of a key fact that the prosecutor is going to need to establish as part of its case. And its a very helpful point for them to be introducing at this point, particularly because this, the Predicate Crime here, which is its been subject to some debate his is a Campaign Finance violation of some sort. And so i think that were seeing sort of the prosecutors add brick after break after break of evidence and isolation, maybe one each of these things that are going to make or break the case, but theyre building pretty strong case. And so far so far as i can tell, we havent heard anyone say that they heard from trump that any of this had to do with his family. Interesting indeed, david urban does this all line up with what you remember during the Trump Campaign, i was there. I wasnt i wasnt there for this part, but i actually had the president for the first public event after the access Hollywood Tape was released in that october. And i remember it a little differently. Obviously, there was a great deal of chaos when the taper is released and a great deal of concern. And at that first event, i was curious to see what a crowd if there was going to be a crowd where people going to show up how would the reaction going to be and a huge crowd showed up actually . And the reaction was very positive for the president , just like it had been prior to the access Hollywood Tape. And it was one of those moments where people i think it showed everyone they thought they thought they had trump this time they knocked him down and he kept moving forward you know, it was one of those moments that kept touting on the campaign. Hes gonna be dead and hes not daddys keeping he keeps moving and so whether this whether some of the hes eft language, whether that would have proven to be true. Im not quite sure because he proved pretty resilient after the few things that did come out. He he bounced right get back up. Theres another part of the transcript youre looking at, right . Yeah. And so two things prosecutors often have to do as number one, manage the credibility of their witnesses. You cant pick the people who are testifying and sometimes theyve got some baggage and then to establishing the human drama, the element of how the parties interact with each other. And one segment from today hey, came up, and this is again Keith Davidson speaking with Joshua Steinglass, the prosecutor. Keith davidson says, in any event, gina and thats a Communications Person called me up to tell me that some jerk called me and was very, very aggressive and threatened to sue me and i would like you, keith, to call this jerk back prosecutor. I hate to ask it this way. But who was that jerk answer . It was Michael Cohen. So what happened when you call did you call Michael Cohen i did tell us about that. Gina provided me the number that he left either with her ex are on the voicemail. It was for the trump org organization. I called i was transferred to Michael Cohen i introduced myself and before i could barely get my name out, i was just met with like a Hustle Barrage of insults and insinuation and allegations that went on for quite awhile. Question, what was the gist of what he was accusing you of pots . I dont think he was accusing us of anything. He was just screaming answer. Okay. What was the upset about . He was upset about the story that the story on the dirty. Com got published and he believed that Stormy Daniels was the source behind that story. Interesting, kaitlan, what do you make of this exchange . Yeah, well, were going to here are very likely for Michael Cohen on the stand. So getting a flavor of his personality before the jury now is something that the prosecutors might want to be doing. But the other thing is theyre painting the portrait of the reaction within the Trump Campaign. Michael cohen already established its by another witness was known to be working on behalf of donald trump, the candidate not just as an attorney for him. The jury hasnt seen the access Hollywood Tape and theyre not going to see it in this trial. Its too prejudicial, but theyre going to be seeing all of the blowback after it, including the urgency see the intensity, the things that Michael Cohen was saying and doing to really communicate that they believe there was a problem in the Trump Campaign that they needed Keith Davidson to take care of with Stormy Daniels did the prosecutors on cushing year former federal prosecutor, why do they prosecutors are in advanced payment . A pretty negative picture of Michael Cohen. So prosecutors often do this to try to preempt the argument on behalf of the defendant. So you kind of want to air out all the sort of dirty laundry so that you have an opportunity to frame the testimony yourself. Put some context around it, and potentially sort of take the sting out of it before it. Cohen himself has to take the stand but ill just say this is not good testimony from Michael Cohen, variety of respect. There were several points at which the witness testified that he had effectively been misled by cohen. I think the quote that we saw earlier, ill just do it myself. It would not be surprised if we see that in the Defense Closing as indicative of cohens sort of freelancing in this area. So its good for the prosecutors to get it out in this way when they can control it. But these are not great facts from Michael Cohen, david urban, i think that Trump Defense team is going to use all this information. Yeah. I mean, i think this morning, if i recall correctly, the banker said that when Michael Cohen called 90 of the time that Michael Cohen called him, it was a crisis Michael Cohen was losing his mind about something. And so i think the picture is going to be paid and that Michael Cohen unhinged. An unhinged actor that was acting in his own capacity here and is still doing it every night. Hes Live Streaming for eight hours, making heart symbol. I mean, theres a lot of stuff that hes doing right now that im sure youre going to see in this trial its pretty unflattering for Michael Cohen theres another key part, les davidsons testimony, youre looking at right . Again, back to this idea of the impact on the campaign youre going to keep hearing this throughout the trial. Keith davidson says, at one point, i think i was at this point in time, karen, this is mcdougal was teetering between two competing deals and wed requested a meeting where each entity could make a pitch as to why they were the correct avenue for karen to bring her story forward. Okay how did you respond to that davidson . Im good. Throw in an ambassadorship for me. Im thinking the isle of man question, what did you mean by that, mr. Davidson it was sort of ingest, but it