Trump trial: Cohen faces Trump team grilling over past lies, recollections

By August 2016, David Pecker and Dylan Howard of the National Enquirer shared with Michael Cohen that the deal to catch-and-kill Karen McDougal's story had been a success.

"The terms were going to be compensation to her in the amount of $150,000 as well as they were going to provide her 24 penned articles that would bear her name, as well as she was going to be on two covers of one of the various magazines that they owned," Cohen said about the terms of the deal, which Pecker described as "bulletproof."

Asked to explain what Pecker meant by bulletproof, Cohen said, "That they got it. That this is locked down. We prevented the story from being released."

Cohen said he communicated the news to Trump, who told him, "Fantastic. Great job."

As Cohen, time after time, injects what he says are Trump's own words directly in the alleged catch and kill scheme, Trump, sitting at the defense table, has no reaction. Mostly, his eyes appear closed, his head moving side to side occasionally.

Michael Cohen recounted listening to a 2016 phone call between then-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and Trump regarding Karen McDougal's story.

"He had the call put through, and he had a speaker box on his desk. Instead of lifting up the phone, he used the speaker box so I was able to hear," Cohen recounted. "He asked him how things were going with the matter, and David said we have this under control and we will -- we will take care of this."

"David had stated that it was going to cost them $150,000 to control the story -- to which Mr. Trump replied, 'No problem. I will take care of it.'"

According to Cohen, National Enquirer parent AMI would make the original $150,000 payment, with the plan for Trump to later reimburse them.

Jurors briefly saw text messages between Cohen and Trump staffer Keith Schiller on June 16, 2016, in which Cohen said he was trying to contact Trump through Schiller to update him on the Karen McDougal situation.

"Where's the boss?" Cohen texted.

Jurors then saw text messages between Cohen and National Enquirer Editor Dylan Howard, who met McDougal in person to vet her allegations on June 20, 2016.

"Understood, I got this locked down for you, I won't let it out of my grasp," Howard texted Cohen.

Cohen said he later had a call with Howard and National Enquirer publisher David Pecker to learn about the McDougal meeting.

"That they believed that they had this control, as Dylan had stated to me," Cohen said about what he learned on the call.

In court, the jury is focused as Cohen recounts the catch and kill efforts. Earlier, some jurors had laughed and flashed a smile at Cohen's jokes, but they have now returned to their familiar serious faces. Many appear to be taking notes and they're often looking at Cohen and prosecutor Susan Hoffinger as she questions him.

Michael Cohen said he contacted Trump "Immediately after I got off the phone with AMI" about former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal shopping her story that she had a year-long affair with Trump, which he denied.

"Hey boss, I got to talk to you," Cohen recounted telling Trump. "I told him about what I had just learned. I asked him if he knew who Karen McDougal was, knows anything about the story."

"His response was, 'She's really beautiful.' I said, OK, but right now there's a story that's being shopped."

According to Cohen, Trump directed him to "make sure it doesn't get released."