WASHINGTON — President Trump on Thursday, for the first time, acknowledged a $130,000 payment to adult superstar Stormy Daniels.
Trump’s disclosure came a day after his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said the president had reimbursed longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen for the $130,000 payment to Daniels in return for her signing a nondisclosure agreement. Cohen is currently under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for possible bank fraud and campaign-finance violations.
“Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA,” Trump tweeted this morning. “These agreements are very common among celebrities and people of wealth.
“The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. Prior to its violation by Ms. [Daniels] and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no [role] in this transaction.”
Trump also said that the nondisclosure agreement was “in full force and effect and will be used in arbitration for damages against [Daniels].”
Giuliani told the Wall Street Journal that because the president had reimbursed Cohen for the payment, it didn’t constitute any violation of the law.
Giuliani said Trump had reimbursed Cohen in monthly installments of $35,000 throughout 2017, paid out of Trump’s personal bank account.
“No campaign finance violations, no crime of any kind,” he said.
