Donald Trump’s team started “praying” when the Wall Street Journal published a story about a “hush money” payment made to an alleged former mistress and Playboy model.
Mr Trump is alleged to have had a 10-month affair with Karen McDougal in 2006. Ten years later, he is claimed to have enlisted the National Enquirer tabloid to cover up their relationship by paying her $150,000.
It is one of a series of payments at the centre of Mr Trump’s “hush money” trial, which is taking place in New York.
Prosecutors submitted evidence to the court on Friday of text messages between Michael Cohen, his former “fixer”, and Hope Hicks, a Trump campaign aide, grappling with the fallout as the story broke.
“Pray, Michael, pray!” Ms Hicks wrote to Mr Cohen in a flurry of texts when the article was published in Nov 2016.
Mr Cohen, who has suggested Mr Trump put out a statement claiming the Wall Street Journal had “turned into a smut paper”, said the article seemed to be getting “little to no traction”. Ms Hicks wrote back seconds later: “Keep praying!! It’s working!”
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