Ex-attorney for Daniels and McDougal testifies in Trump trial

Keith Davidson is now discussing the June 2016 meeting he arranged between Karen McDougal and former National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard, where she told her story about Donald Trump to AMI — the parent company of the tabloid.

AMI's initial response was to decline to purchase McDougal's story with the reasoning that she "lacked documentary evidence of the interaction."

After the meeting ended, "we said we’d keep in touch," Davidson says.

In a text message from June 27, 2016, Davidson texted Howard: “It’s a story (t)hat should be told…”

"I agree," Howard texted back in response.

While testifying, Keith Davidson has been referring to the matter as "the personal interaction that Karen had with Donald Trump."

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass just asked him to say what it is.

"Ms. McDougal alleged she had a romantic affair with Donald Trump some years prior," Davidson says.

Asked if the relationship was sexual in nature, Davidson says, "That's what she expressed."

Prosecutors are now going over text messages between Keith Davidson and Dylan Howard, the former editor of the National Enquirer.

A June 10 text from Howard reads, "Did he cheat on Melania?"

Another text on June 12 text from Howard reads, "Do you know if the affair was during his marriage to Melania?"

"I really can't say yet. Sorry," Davidson responds on June 12.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass the asked Davidson whether he said that because he didn't know or because he wasn't ready to discuss the details yet. "It was because I was not prepared to discuss the details at that point," Davidson says.

Donald Trump is passing another note to his attorney Emil Bove as Keith Davidson continue to testify.

The jury is now seeing texts that Keith Davidson sent to former National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard.

The first text is sent June 7, 2016.

Davidson explains he reached out concerning the alleged interaction between Karen McDougal and Donald Trump.

Davidson testifies it was meant to be an "entree or teaser" to let Howard know he had a good story.

He also testifies, "I don't know if I had a clear understanding at the time," but said he understood former American Media CEO David Pecker and Trump were friends and that AMI — the parent company of the National Enquirer — had endorsed Trump.

The jury is shown a portion of the retainer agreement that explains the scope of the work.

Keith Davidson says he won't get into his discussions with Karen McDougal about this agreement, but he says that the paragraph above authorized him to negotiate with media outlets on his client's behalf.

Keith Davidson is now on the stand. He was the lawyer who was at the center of the so-called hush money agreements with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.

The lawyer helped negotiate the deals to silence Daniels and McDougal over their alleged encounters with Donald Trump. Davidson said in an interview with CNN in 2018 that he’d spoken with Michael Cohen on several occasions about the two women.

Davidson also said he called Cohen in the late summer of 2016 to inform him that he’d settled a case involving Playboy model McDougal. McDougal sold the rights to her story to American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer, for $150,000 and other perks. Davidson said he informed Cohen of the deal as “a professional courtesy.”

During his testimony last week, David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, testified about his communications with Davidson throughout the process of negotiating the payments.

CNN's Scott Glover and Sara Sidner contributed reporting to this post.

Keith Davidson was shown an email he sent to former Playboy model Karen McDougal saying, "Great seeing you today. I’ve already started on your case.”

The email also contained a retainer agreement and was dated June 15, 2016.

Keith Davidson said he represented Karen McDougal in 2016 to provide her advice of counsel about her rights about a personal interaction she had with Donald Trump.

Davidson said McDougal became his client because they were reintroduced by her former brother-in-law.