Donald Trump lashes out at former lawyer Michael Cohen over leaked recording of Playboy model conversation: 'So sad!'

Donald Trump has unleashed an early morning Twitter tirade at his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, over a leaked recording of a conversation about a potential payment for a Playboy model’s story of an alleged affair.

In the audio, aired by US news network CNN, the president can be heard saying the words “pay with cash” – although the context of those words has been disputed.

Apparently responding to reports of the leak, Mr Trump posted on Twitter: “What kind of a lawyer would tape a client? So sad! Is this a first, never heard of it before? Why was the tape so abruptly terminated (cut) while I was presumably saying positive things?

“I hear there are other clients and many reporters that are taped – can this be so? Too bad!”

The president’s comments came after CNN obtained and broadcast a recording of Mr Trump and Mr Cohen, seemingly paying hush money to former model Karen McDougal. In the recording from October 2016, the pair can he heard discussing whether to pay her with cash or a cheque.

The audio recording, surreptitiously made by Mr Cohen (who for decades was considered Mr Trump’s legal “fixer”), appears to contradict the Trump campaign’s claim that the president knew nothing about payments to a media company to keep Ms McDougal’s story from becoming public.

Mr Cohen is said to have handed over 12 recordings to the FBI as part of an ongoing investigation into a possible breach of campaign finance law.

Ms McDougal has claimed she began a nearly yearlong affair with Mr Trump in 2006, shortly after Mr Trump’s third wife, Melania, gave birth to their son, Barron. Mr Trump has denied having an affair with either Ms McDougal, or porn actor Stormy Daniels – whom he also paid hush money via Mr Cohen, shortly before election day.

The tape was provided to CNN by Mr Cohen’s attorney, Lanny Davis, and aired by the network on Tuesday evening. It captures the men discussing the logistics of financing and whether to “pay with cash”, although the sound is said to be muffled and Mr Trump’s instructions on that are unclear. Lawyers for Mr Trump and Mr Cohen are disputing what was said.

Associated Press reported that on Wednesday, Mr Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani said the tape reveals his client saying “don’t pay with cash”, which he says proves Trump was not trying to hide the potential payment.

“The word is ‘cash’. Everybody should listen to the tape and see whether I’m right or not,” Mr Davis told ABC.

AP said the taped conversation between Mr Trump and Mr Cohen came weeks after the National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc, reached a $150,000 deal to pay Ms McDougal for her story of a 2006 affair, which it never published: a tabloid practice known as catch and kill.

The men appear to be discussing buying the rights to her story from the Enquirer’s parent company. Mr Trump’s lawyers say the payments were never made.

Mr Cohen can be heard on the tape saying that he needed to start a company “for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David”, a possible reference to David Pecker, Mr Trump’s friend and the president of American Media Inc.

When Mr Cohen begins to discuss financing, Mr Trump interrupts him and asks: “What financing?”

“We’ll have to pay,” Mr Cohen responds.

The audio is muffled, but Mr Trump can be heard saying “pay with cash”, though it is not clear if he is suggesting to pay with cash or not to pay with cash.

Mr Cohen immediately says: “No, no, no”. Mr Trump can then be heard saying: “Cheque.”