Trump lawyer says he paid porn star
$130,000 with his own money
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[February 15, 2018]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A private
lawyer for President Donald Trump says he paid $130,000 of his own money
to adult film star Stormy Daniels who once claimed she had an affair
with Trump more than a decade ago.
The payment to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was made
during the 2016 presidential election campaign but the lawyer, Michael
Cohen, said he was working alone and that it was not a campaign expense.
"Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to
the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed me for the
payment, either directly or indirectly," Cohen said in a statement
issued on Tuesday night.
Daniels was quoted as saying in a 2011 interview with In Touch Weekly
that she had an affair with Trump after they met at a Lake Tahoe golf
tournament in 2006.
Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.
The Wall Street Journal first reported in January that Trump lawyer
Michael Cohen had paid $130,000 to Daniels in 2016, the year Trump won
the presidential election.
In his most detailed account yet of what happened, Cohen said in his
statement that the payment was a "private transaction". He did not
explain why he made the payment or say whether Trump was aware of it.
The White House referred questions about the payment to Cohen.
Cohen's statement was in response to a complaint filed at the Federal
Election Commission by the Common Cause watchdog group.
Common Cause argued in its complaint that the payment amounts to a
campaign contribution well in excess of the $2,700 limit to the amount
any individual can give, and it has asked the FEC to enforce campaign
finance laws.
"The complaint alleges that I somehow violated campaign finance laws by
facilitating an excess, in-kind contribution. The allegations in the
complaint are factually unsupported and without legal merit, and my
counsel has submitted a response to the FEC," Cohen said.
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Michael Cohen, personal attorney for U.S. President Donald Trump,
talks to reporters as he departs after meeting with Senate
Intelligence Committee staff on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S.
September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
"Just because something isn't true doesn't mean that it can't cause
you harm or damage. I will always protect Mr. Trump," Cohen said,
adding that he would not comment further.
Common Cause said on Wednesday that the timing and circumstances of
the payment "make it appear that the hush money was paid to Daniels
in an effort to influence the election." It called on the FEC to
conduct a full investigation.
The FEC confirmed it received Common Cause's complaint and declined
to comment on the case.
Daniels' manager, Gina Rodriguez, told Reuters that by issuing the
statement, Cohen was in violation of a non-disclosure agreement with
Daniels about the matter and that Daniels believes she can now talk
about it publicly.
"Yes, Stormy is going to talk," she said via direct message on
Twitter. She did not immediately respond to a question about when
and where Daniels would be speaking publicly.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Ginger Gibson in Washington, and
Nichola Groom in Los Angeles; editing by Kieran Murray)
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