>> Shepard: 23 MINUTES BEFORE
THE HOUR,
"THE WALL STREET JOURNAL" IS
REPORTING, AND BY THE WAY
"THE WALL STREET JOURNAL"'S
PARENT COMPANY ON THE FOX NEWS
COMPANY PARENT COMPANY SHARE
OWNERSHIP.
THE PRESIDENT LED AN EFFORT TO
SILENCE STORMY DANIELS, AND SAID
HE WOULD PAY ALL THE LEGAL COSTS
INVOLVED.
ACCORDING TO THE REPORTING OF
"THE WALL STREET JOURNAL" BACK
IN FEBRUARY, PRESIDENT TRUMP
ORDERED HIS THEN LAWYER AND
PERSONAL FIXER MICHAEL COHEN TO
GET A RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST
STORMY DANIELS WITH HELP FROM
THE PRESIDENT'S SON, ERIC TRUMP.
THE JOURNAL REPORTS ERIC TRUMP
THEN GOT A TRUMP ORGANIZATION
LAWYER TO HELP WITH ALL THE
PAPERWORK.
THE GOAL HERE, PREVENT STORMY
DANIELS FROM IGNORING A
NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT FROM
OCTOBER OF 2016, AND TO PREVENT
HER FROM TALKING ABOUT HER CLAIM
THAT SHE HAD WITH TRUMP A DECADE
BEFORE THAT, LONG BEFORE HE
BECAME PRESIDENT, BUT NOT LONG
AFTER HIS WIFE MILANI I BIRTH TO
THEIR SON.
NONE OF IT WORKED.
STORMY DANIELS DID GO PUBLIC AS
WE ALL KNOW AND DID AN INTERVIEW
WITH 60 MINUTES ON CBS.
MORE THAN 20 MILLION PEOPLE
WATCHED.
UNTOLD NUMBERS HAVE SEEN IT
SINCE ONLINE.
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS DENIED THAT
HE HAD WITH THAT PERSON, BUT HE
ADMITS REIMBURSING COHEN FOR THE
$130,000 THAT DANIELS RECEIVED
BEFORE THE ELECTION TO KEEP
QUIET.
MICHAEL: PLEADED GUILTY IN
AUGUST TO VIOLATING CAMPAIGN
FINANCE LAW AND COULD SPEND
YEARS IN PRISON.
HE SAID THAT TRUMP DIRECTED HIM,
TO ARRANGE THE PAYMENT TODAY ANT
THAT DONALD TRUMP DIRECTED HIM
TO ARRANGE THE PAYMENT TODAY ANO
DANIELS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LAWYER, RUDY
GIULIANI, AS OF THAT MICHAEL
COHEN IS NOT CREDIBLE AND THAT
NONE OF THE CHARGES INVOLVED
WRONGDOING BY THE PRESIDENT.
MOST OF THIS WE ALREADY KNEW,
BUT "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL"
REPORTS IS A FIRST TIME THAT
WE'VE HEARD THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP
HIMSELF WAS INVOLVED IN TRYING
TO SILENCE DANIELS, MUCH LESS
THAT HE LED THE WHOLE THING.
LET'S TURN TO MICHAEL ROTH
FIELD, AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
WITH "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL"
AND COWROTE TODAY'S PIECE.
NICE TO HAVE YOU.
SO HE LED THAT.
HOW DID YOU COME TO THAT THROUGH
YOUR REPORTING?
>> Michael: JUST TALKING TO
SOURCES ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
WE INITIALLY REPORTED THAT A
TRUMP ORGANIZATION LAWYER WAS
INVOLVED IN THIS CONFIDENTIAL
ARBITRATION PROCEEDING THAT WAS
BACK IN MARCH, A MONTH AFTER
THAT HAPPENED, AND CONTINUING
REPORTING, WE LEARNED THAT IN
FACT THERE WERE TWO PHONE CALLS
THAT LED TO THAT WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND MICHAEL
COHEN.
ONE IN MID-FEBRUARY, FIRST WITH
THE PRESIDENT TOLD MICHAEL
COHEN, THEN HIS LAWYER, TO
COORDINATE WITH ERIC TRUMP, AND
HIS SON, AND WITH LAWRENCE
ROSEN, AN OUTSIDE LAWYER.
THEN A SECOND ONE A FEW DAYS
LATER IN ROSEN'S OFFICE.
TRUMP TOLD COHEN, I'LL TAKE CARE
OF EVERYTHING, MEANING THE
BILLS, AND JUST HANDLE THIS AND
MAKE SURE SHE DOESN'T GO ON
TELEVISION.
>> Shepard: YOU SAID
COORDINATE WITH THEM.
COORDINATE WITH THEM IN THE
EFFORT TO MAKE SURE SHE HOLDS UP
HER END OF THE BARGAIN?
>> Michael: AND THAT SHE
DOESN'T TALK OR DO THIS IN AN
ARBITRATION HEARING BECAUSE IT
WOULD BE LIKE DISPUTE RESOLUTION
IN THE CONTRACT THAT YOU HAVE,
YOU GO SECRETLY INTO ARBITRATION
AND TRY TO GET A DECISION.
BUT AS YOU NOTED, STORMY DANIELS
NOTED
IGNORED THAT INJUNCTION THAT
THEY ATTAINED.
>> Shepard: PRESIDENT TRUMP'S
DENIALS ON EVERY LEVEL OF THIS
HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS AND THOROUGH,
HAVE THEY NOT?
>> Michael: THAT'S RIGHT.
AT THE BEGINNING, AFTER WE
REPORTED THE EXISTENCE OF THIS
HUSH AGREEMENT, THE WHITE HOUSE
AND THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, EVEN
MICHAEL COHEN, DISTANCE THE
PRESIDENT FROM THIS AND SAID
BASICALLY, THIS WAS MICHAEL
COHEN WHO DID THIS, YOU HAVE TO
TALK TO MICHAEL COHEN.
THE PRESIDENT DENIES EVERYTHING
BUT IN FACT WE KNOW HE WAS
INTIMATELY INVOLVED.
>> Shepard: VIEWERS MAY HAVE A
MEMORY BECAUSE SOMETIMES
INFORMATION WILL TRIGGER A
MEMORY ON SUCH THINGS.
REMEMBER THE PRESIDENT WAS ON
AIR FORCE ONE AND HE CAME BACK
TO WHERE THE PRESS WAS.
THE PRESS ASKED HIM ABOUT IT AND
HE SAID, YOU WILL HAVE TO ASK MY
LAWYER ABOUT THAT.
VEITH FIVE RIGHT, HE ACTED LIKE
HE NEVER KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
>> Shepard: THE IMPORTANCE OF
WHO LED THIS, IT REALLY CAN'T BE
OVERSTATED BECAUSE OF THE BIGGER
INVESTIGATION INVOLVED.
>> Michael: THAT'S RIGHT.
MICHAEL: PLEADED GUILTY IN
SETTING COURT THAT THE PRESIDENT
HAD DIRECTED HIM TO MAKE THIS
DEAL ON THE FIRST PLACE AND
ALSO COORDINATE ON KAREN
McDOUGALL, A "PLAYBOY" MODEL
THAT HAD BEEN PAID BY THE
"NATIONAL ENQUIRER" BEFORE THE
ELECTIONS.
THAT MAY STILL PLAY OUT IN OTHER
INVESTIGATIONS THAT ARE ONGOING.
>> Shepard: THE PRESIDENT
FURTHER MADE THE ARGUMENT THAT
KEEPING THINGS QUIET ABOUT
MATTERS OF THIS NATURE WAS DONE
FOR THE REASON OF PROTECTING HIS
FAMILY.
NOT TO HURT HIS CHILD AND HIS
WIFE AND OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS
FAMILY.
THE BIGGER QUESTION IS, WHETHER
THIS WOULD BE TANTAMOUNT TO, OR
IF NOT DIRECTLY, OBSTRUCTION OF
JUSTICE IN THE FACE OF THE
INVESTIGATION.
>> Michael: WE HAVEN'T HEARD
THAT.
>> Shepard: THAT'S WHAT I'M
SAYING, THAT WOULD BE THE OPEN
QUESTION.
>> Michael: RIGHT, I DON'T
KNOW.
>> Shepard: NOR DO WE.
THE REASON THE PRESIDENT SAID
THEY KEPT SUCH THINGS QUIET WAS
BECAUSE OF HIS FAMILY.
THIS COULD VERY WELL BE A
PIVOTAL MATTER IF YOU ARE A MAN
WHO IS DOING THIS INVESTIGATION.
AND ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT WE
NOW KNOW THAT THE PRESIDENT
DIRECTED ALL OF THIS, IS THERE
ANYTHING NEW ABOUT THIS AFFAIR
FROM BEGINNING TO END?
>> Michael: WE'VE BEEN FOCUSED
LESS ON -- WHILE YOU SAY AFFAIR,
YOU DON'T MEAN THE AFFAIR.
>> Shepard: I MEAN THE AFFAIR
AS A WHOLE WAS AS INVESTIGATED
ON.
>> Michael: WE ARE LEARNING
ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP'S
INVOLVEMENT THROUGH COHEN'S
GUILTY PLEA AND LEARNING THAT HE
WAS MORE INVOLVED FROM BEGINNING
TO END IN ALL OF THIS.
WE HEARD A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, A
TAPE OF TRUMP TALKING TO MICHAEL
COHEN ABOUT THE KAREN
McDOUGALL PAYMENT DURING THE
CAMPAIGN AND POTENTIALLY BUYING
THE RIGHTS TO THAT.
WE LEARN FROM COHEN IN COURT
THAT TRUMP WAS INVOLVED IN BOTH
STORMY DANIELS AND KAREN
McDOUGALL PAYMENTS AND NOW WE
ARE FINDING OUT THAT AFTER THE
ELECTION OR AFTER WE REVEALED AT
THAT TRUMP WAS CONTINUING TO TRY
