‘Highly Uncool’: CNN Host Brianna Keilar Condemns Michael Cohen for Secretly Recording Conversations With Trump
CNN host Brianna Keilar and several CNN legal analysts criticized former Trump attorney Michael Cohen for secretly recording a conversation with former President Donald Trump on Thursday, calling the practice “highly uncool” and “unethical.”
After Keilar read a quote from Cohen testifying that he secretly recorded conversations with people, including Trump, without their consent, Keiler said, “Let’s just be very clear, that is highly uncool.”
“In some states illegal,” several of Keilar’s colleagues pointed out, to which the CNN host replied, “And ethically questionable even if it’s not illegal.”
CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams then noted, “New York is one of about 30 states that’s a one-party consent state, so as long as one party consents to recording a phone conversation, you can do it. Doesn’t mean you ought to, doesn’t mean people won’t judge it if you do, but it’s allowed.”
“People probably won’t appreciate it,” Keilar pointed out.
Williams continued, “And particularly if you’re not, for instance, a journalist taking a recording to supplement notes that you’re taking by hand. If you’re just someone having either a social or casual conversation with someone, yes, people might react very strongly.”
CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig then weighed in, “Recording your client as a lawyer, I mean– I’ve asked, on-air, several defense lawyers who have been practicing for decades, ‘Have you ever done this?’ and if you ask them that they look at you like, ‘Why on earth? That would be wildly unethical and bizarre to do that.'”
Williams replied, “Unethical and bizarre and just creating all kinds of extra materials that could, you know, be subpoenaed or whatever. Just don’t do it. It just seems like a silly thing to do.”
Keilar concluded, “Donald Trump didn’t know he was being recorded; that’s what is very clear from this, so it would be one thing to say to your client, ‘Hey, is it cool? Do you want me to hang on to this for something?’ But it wasn’t done with consent and that is hugely problematic.”
Watch above via CNN.
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